Little (Blue) Penguin

Distribution:

Populations of Little Penguins can be found at various places along the coasts and surrounding islands of New Zealand and Australia.

Several subspecies are recognized. The White-Flippered subspecies (see seperate section) is sometimes even regarded as a species in its own right. Other subspecies are the Cook Straight Little Penguin (E. m. variabilis) found on the S coast of NZ N island, the Northern Little Penguin (E. m. iredalei) found on the N of NZ N island, the Australian Little Penguin (E. m. novaehollandiae) found in S Australia and Tasmania, the Southern Little Penguin (E. m. minor) found on W and SE coast of NZ S island, and the Chatham Little Penguin (E. m. chathamensis) found on Chatham Island, 1000km E of NZ S island.

Feeding:

Little penguins primarily feed on small fish, including Pilchards, Australian Anchovy and Sandy Sprat. However, squid and crustaceans will also be eaten if fish supplies are insufficient. Small fish are swallowed head-first under water, whilst the penguin usually surfaces to eat more than 3cm long ones. Feeding is during daylight when the penguin can see the silvery reflection of light on the fish. Maximum dive depths of over 50m have been recorded, yet most hunting takes place in depths of less than 20m. Most feeding takes place within 25km of the coast with daily round trips of 75km being recorded. During the winter, penguins may swim further from the colony (distances of 750km have been recorded, although the penguins tend to stay within 20km of the coastline).

Reproduction:

Little penguins tend to be very faithful to nesting sites and can be found at them for most of the year. Similarly, pair bonds are strong and are commonly maintained over many seasons. This may be the result of the nearly year-round presence at the colony. Less than 1% of penguins are thought to move to other colonies during their lifetimes. Nesting occurs in underground burrows usually in soft ground near beaches. Burrows may be dug if necessary using bills and feet. Burrows are usually at least 2m apart and burrow entrances are defended vigorously. Nesting under houses or in artificial nest boxes is also common. Plant materials including grasses and seaweed is used to line nests.

The main breeding season usually commences around september in New Zealand although when food is plentiful, eggs may be laid from May to February, with two pairs of chicks being raised. At other sites, different times may be preferred depending on local climatic influences. Egg laying is not strongly synchronized between individuals in a colony.

Males may occupy a nest first or find a partner before doing so depending on the colony. Courtship displays are at many sites adapted to nesting conditions. For example, in narrow burrows a classic upward-stretched ecstatic display may not be possible. Copulation also occurs in burrows. Drumming of the males flippers on the female may be audible outside burrows.

Parents alternate in egg incubation (which takes 5 weeks) and feeding and brooding the chicks for a further 2-3 weeks after which both parents go to sea to collect food. Chicks then stay alone in nests and may come to the entrance at dusk to await the adults. Creching is unusual but may occur when birds live together in large caves. After about 8 weeks fledglings may go to sea. Young birds may stay far from the colony until reaching sexual maturity at an age of 2-3 years when they usually return.

Little penguins infront of nest burrow, Otago Peninsula, NZ	Little penguin infront of nest burrow, Otago Peninsula, NZ

General Behaviour:

Little penguins are nocturnal animals on land and are unique among penguins in this respect. Penguins leave and return to their colonies under cover of darkness. Whilst individuals may be spotted during daylight (for example White-Flippered Little Penguins on Banks Peninsula) this is unusual and involves small numbers of birds in areas not subject to much disturbance. In the evening, birds tend to assemble offshore in groups until light levels are low enough for them to head onto land. This results in large batches of birds arriving nearly simultaneously.

Little penguins are regarded as quite aggressive. Two main aggressive stances can be observed; (i) body held low with beak pointing at the adversary and flippers raised above body, (ii) body upright, feathers on head erect and flippers outstretched. In both cases the penguin can growl or bray to emphasize the stance. If fighting occurs, both birds may sustain significant injuries to the face and eyes.

On the other hand, Little penguins may be observed allopreening eachother. This behaviour is not only limited to partners.

Threats:

The main threat to colonies of little penguins are introduced mammalian predators. Foxes, dogs, cats, ferrets and stoats may kill birds at individual colonies. Foxes and dogs are particularly problematic since they may kill up to 50 birds in a single night, in worst cases leading to complete loss of the colony. Natural predators include sharks, fur seals, gulls and eagles.

Human development is also a problem as many penguins are killed on coastal roads, nesting sites may be developed or trampled on by humans or livestock and penguins may become entangled in or ingest rubbish. Further, dog problems are most common near settlement areas. Nesting sites can be damaged by fire or overgrazing by livestock or rabbits, which removes the protective vegetation and increases problems with erosion or flooding at the nesting site. On the other hand, certain types of vegetation can prove difficult for penguins to penetrate such as the introduced Kikuyu grass.

Fisheries may be a problem, particularly in times of food shortages. Controlled tourism does not appear to be a major threat to colonies. A very detailed explanation of threats facing little penguins is found on http://www.penguins.cl/little-penguins.html.

Where To See:

There are a variety of sites in both NZ and Australia where it is possible to view Little penguins under proper supervision. For example, the White-flippered subspecies can be seen on Banks peninsula (see own section). The Southern Little penguin can be viewed at the Oamaru penguin colony or at Pilots Beach on Otago Peninsula, both on the E coast of NZ S island. The Australian Little penguin can be viewed on Phillip island in SE Australia (under floodlights).

Little penguins rarely venture onto land before dark and are scared by bright lights such as torches and especially camera flashes. I have seen a group of penguins flee back into the sea in response to a camera flash at least 20m away. It is important to avoid this, especially when there are hungry chicks waiting at the nests. Hence, please keep lights dimmed or use red lights and avoid photographing birds returning to nests (this is why I can only offer few photos of these penguins).