Little Penguin

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The Little Penguin, also known as the Fairy Penguin, is the world’s smallest penguin, standing 30 to 33 centimetres tall. It is characterized by slate-blue to indigo upperparts and a contrasting brilliant white chin, chest, and belly. The face features slate-grey ear coverts and pale silver-grey or hazel eyes, while the stout bill is dark grey-black. Its feet are pale pink on top with black soles and webbing. Juveniles are similar but display paler blue plumage and shorter bills. Highly vocal after dark, they produce a raucous chorus of guttural braying, deep growls, sharp yaps, and high-pitched trills at their colonies. At sea, they may emit short, sharp barks. This flightless pursuit-diver "flies" underwater to hunt small schooling fish, squid, and invertebrates in temperate inshore waters. Primarily social, they forage at sea during the day and gather in offshore groups called rafts before sunset. After dusk, they cross the beach in synchronized groups to avoid predators, waddling to nesting burrows, rock crevices, or even man-made structures like breakwaters. They are found across southern Australia, from New South Wales to Western Australia, including Tasmania and numerous offshore islands. As the only penguin species breeding on the Australian mainland, it is unmistakable on land. It lacks the prominent yellow head feathers of larger crested penguins, which occur only as rare vagrants. At sea, its low profile, distinct blue hue, and inability to fly distinguish it from small cormorants or shearwaters.

Description · BirdUp · CC BY-SA 4.0

1. 01

   Slate-blue upperparts

   Head, back, and flippers uniformly covered in distinctive slate-blue feathers, giving a characteristic 'blue' appearance.

2. 02

   Noticeably small, compact size

   Significantly smaller than most other penguin species.

3. 03

   Bright white underparts, chin to belly

   Contrasting pure white plumage extends from the throat down to the belly, creating a sharp, clean contrast with the blue upperparts.

4. 04

   Short, dark grey-black bill

   A relatively short, robust bill that is uniformly dark grey to black.