NL·0702Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Aptenodytes patagonicus
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Native to
- Sub-Antarctic islands: South Georgia, Crozet, Kerguelen, Marion, Macquarie, Falklands; Tierra del Fuego
- Habitat
- Sub-Antarctic island, Marine
On eBird ↗
King Penguin
Live sightings near you, the range map, bar charts of when it is seen, and Macaulay Library photos and recordings.
King penguin
Aptenodytes patagonicus
Also calledManchot royal (French) · Pingüino rey (Spanish) · Koningspikkewyn (Afrikaans)
The second-largest penguin, standing nearly a metre tall, with brilliant orange ear patches. Its breeding cycle is so long that pairs can raise at most two chicks every three years.
The king penguin is the second largest species of penguin, smaller than but somewhat similar in appearance to the emperor penguin. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iDives to over 300 m deep in search of lanternfish
- iiIncubates its egg on its feet beneath a fold of skin
- iiiChicks are fed through winter by parents who may be away for weeks
In the field
Field marks
- aBright orange comma-shaped ear patches
- bOrange-yellow upper breast fading to white
- cLong, slender bill with orange-pink stripe
- dSilver-grey back
- Voice
- A loud, trumpeting call, used to find mates and chicks in colonies.
- Not to be confused with
- Emperor penguin is larger and stockier, with paler yellow neck patches that are not enclosed by black, and breeds on Antarctic ice rather than sub-Antarctic beaches.
- Where to see it
- Salisbury Plain, St Andrews Bay and Gold Harbour (South Georgia), Volunteer Point (Falklands), Crozet, Bahía Inútil (Chile)
- When
- Present year-round at colonies; breeding cycle 14–16 months
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Life & habits
- Diet
- Lanternfish and squid
- Habitat
- Open ocean; breeds on flat beaches and valleys on sub-Antarctic islands
- Size
- About 90 cm; 9.3–18 kg
- Lifespan
- Up to about 25 years in the wild
Brown, woolly chicks gather in creches through the winter while parents feed far at sea.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
Sub-Antarctic islands: South Georgia, Crozet, Kerguelen, Marion, Macquarie, Falklands; Tierra del Fuego
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
No plate in the Source Library names this exact species, so these show its closest relatives as the old naturalists drew them: same genus, or the same kind of animal. Click a plate to read the page it came from, with translation.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Aptenodytes patagonicus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
In the 19th and early 20th centuries king penguins were rendered for oil in great numbers on Macquarie Island and elsewhere.
Curiosity
Brown chicks were once thought to be a separate species, nicknamed 'woolly penguins'.
Kinship
Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 3821.