Erect creested Penguin - Photo: Dave Houston
Their main distinctive characteristic are yellow spiky crests which flare upwards from the root of their beak to the top of their heads on both sides. Unlike other crested species this penguin can lower, or raise the crests erect, hence its name. Their eyes are brown and their beaks are a reddish brown.
They are not as large as Emperor or King penguins but bigger than Little Blue penguins. Erect-crested penguins can grow to between 20 and 28 inches tall and sometimes weigh up to 11.5 pounds.
Hunting and Diet
Little is known about their diet, though like most other penguins it probably consists of fish and krill. They are thought to hunt near the water surface and believed to travel long distances hunting for food spending the winter months at sea.
Breeding and Nesting
In September the males return to the site of the previous breeding colony and the females arrive two weeks after. They are very social birds forming large breeding colonies often mingling with Rockhopper breeding colonies. These colonies can be raucous and chaotic and fighting often ensues as breeding pairs compete for the best nesting sites and materials. Nests are built from mud and stones and often lined with grass. They will often build their nests on steep rocks and ledges for safety.
The female lays two eggs. The first egg, which is usually small, very often does not hatch. The second egg is often twice the size of the first and is usually given more attention than the first and will usually hatch. In February the chicks will fledge, loosing their down and grow adult feathers. In most penguins species the chicks are then ready to hunt in the sea and live independently. There is very little information available as to what happens next to the newly fledged Erect-crested penguins but the parent birds will return to the sea for the winter after moulting.
Predators and Threats
On land birds such as skuas will take chicks and steal eggs while in the sea they fall prey to Fur seals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the Erect-crested penguin as Endangered A2b;B2ab(i,ii,iv,v) ver 3.1 on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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