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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Spheniscidae
  4. ›
  5. Eudyptes
  6. ›
  7. Fiordland Penguin

BirdUp · Species

Fiordland Penguin

Eudyptes pachyrhynchusGray, GR, 1845

Also known asTawaki

Conservation status: Near ThreatenedOrigin: Native
Order
SPHENISCIFORMES
Family
Spheniscidae
Genus
Eudyptes

At a glance

The Fiordland Penguin, listed as Near Threatened and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Conservation status
Near Threatened
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The Fiordland penguin, also known as the Fiordland crested penguin, is a crested penguin species endemic to New Zealand. It currently breeds along the south-western coasts of New Zealand's South Island as well as on Stewart Island/Rakiura and its outlying islands. Because it originally ranged beyond Fiordland, it is sometimes referred to as the New Zealand crested penguin. It is occasionally found in Australia.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field tips

behaviour

  • Watch for distinct visual displays where individuals stand upright, prominently raise their flippers, and fan out their yellow crests.
  • Often nocturnal on land, look for solitary individuals emerging from the water or moving between cover during twilight hours or under the cover of darkness.

plumage

  • Look for three to six distinct white vertical stripes or patches on the dark cheeks, located just below the yellow crest.
  • The broad yellow crest begins at the nostrils and sweeps over the eye, drooping down the side of the neck.

size_and_shape

  • Observe the exceptionally thick, bulbous orange-brown bill which features feathers growing right up to the base with no bare skin visible.

voice

  • Listen for a short, high-pitched bark used as a contact call, or a series of loud, rhythmic braying sounds during social displays.

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Fiordland Penguin?

The Fiordland Penguin is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Fiordland Penguin live in Australia?

The Fiordland Penguin is native to Australia, recorded across 18 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingSouth-west South, west and south Stewart, and satellites (New Zealand)

Non-breedingTo Tasman Sea and south-east Australian waters

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Passage
  • Breeding
  • Non-breeding

6 regions recorded