Facts about the Adelie Penguin

The Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis Adeliae) is the most common of all the Antarctica species of penguin.  They are also the most widely distributed species in the region with estimates showing around 2.5 million pairs may be making their homes in colonies around the Antarctica coast.

 

  Adelie penguins, feeding

Description

 

Standing about 30 inches tall fully grown and weighing 11 pounds’ Adelies are the smallest penguin species on the Antarctica continent. Adelies along with the Gentoo and Chinstrap are one of the brush-tailed species of penguin. They have long tail feather that trail behind when they walk.
Their heads are black with a white ring around the eyes. Black feathers cover most of their short bill which is reddish with a black tip. Their fronts are white and their backs are black. They have often been seen on the snow and ice getting about toboggan style by sliding down hills on their bellies.
Adelies are powerful swimmers and hunt fish and krill moving like torpedoes through the water. Although they can dive up to 500 feet in search of prey, most hunting is done much nearer the surface. They can often be seen jumping straight out of the sea on to land.

Ancestral Breeding Grounds 

 

During winter Adelies stay in groups at sea on icebergs and pack ice. During September and October they head for their breeding grounds to trek several miles over sea ice to their ancestral breeding grounds.  These are typically ice free slopes on headlands, rocky coasts and islands where Adelies form dense raucous breeding colonies. There is fierce competition for the best nesting sites.  These are situated in the centre of the colony and offer greater protection from predators and the elements. Usually it is the older’ more experienced and dominant pairs that win these. 

Nesting

 
Adelies make circular nests on high, well drained sites using pebbles and stones. They will fight each other for building materials, often stealing it from neighbouring nests.
The female lays two eggs around early November. Both male and female Adelies incubate the eggs in turns. While one goes hunting in the sea the other will stay and keep the eggs warm and safe from predators. It usually takes about 35 days for the eggs to hatch, which often happens at about the same time.  The chicks will then be closely nurtured for the next two to three weeks. The parents bring the chicks food which is regurgitated for them. It is not unusual for one chick to be stronger than its sibling winning more food. The chicks grow quickly developing a grey layer of warm down soon becoming nearly as big as their parents. 

Penguin Crèche

 
When they have grown big enough, usually around the third or fourth week, the chicks will join others in nursery, or crèche groups. The chicks huddle together for warmth and protection while their parents are out hunting in the sea.  The parents are kept busy on these feeding trips and they spend much time back and forth to the sea trying to satisfy the chick’s voracious appetites. By the end of March most of the chicks are capable of swimming and the Adelies then return to the sea and pack ice. 

Predators 

 
On land their main predators are skuas and other birds that steal the eggs and kill their chicks. In the sea their main enemy is the leopard seal which lies in ambush for unwary penguins as they enter the water.

References, Attributions and Further Reading 

Antarctic Connection
Adélie Penguin  From Wikipedia 
Image - File:Antarctic, adelie penguins (js) 22.jpg From Wikimedia Commons - Antarctica, Adelie penguins, feeding - Image Author - Jerzy Strzelecki - Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license