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| Eudyptes chrysolophus (Brandt, 1837) |
The Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) is a species of penguin of the genus Eudyptes closely related to the Royal Penguin. The macaroni penguin is the most abundant among all the world's penguins, in terms of numbers, with about 12 million pairs in existence. The population of macaroni penguins, however, is decreasing.
Adult macaroni penguins average about 5.5 kilograms in weight and average 71 centimeters in length. They are usually distinguished by yellow and black plumes on the top of their heads. Like all penguins, they cannot fly, and their and wings are stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine lifestyle.
Their diet consists of a variety of crustaceans, mainly krill and squid. They dive to depths up to 100 meters, but most dives for food are usually under 6 meters in depth. The majority of dives last only 2 minutes in length. Not much is known about macaroni penguins outside of their breeding patterns.
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Taxonomy
The Macaroni Penguin was described in 1837 by German naturalist Johann Friedrich von Brandt. Its specific name is derived from the Ancient Greek words chryso- "golden", and lophos "crest" or "tuft of hair".1
The common name was given to the species by English explorers, probably due to the bird's conspicuous yellow crest. Maccaronism was a term for a particular style in 18th century England marked by flamboyant or excessive ornamentation. A person who adopted this fashion was labeled a maccaroni or macaroni, as in the song Yankee Doodle.
Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evidence suggests the Macaroni Penguin split from its closest relative, the Royal Penguin, around 1.5 million years ago.2 The Macaroni Penguin and Royal Penguin are similar in looks, although the Macaroni penguins have black faces, while Royal Penguins tend to have white faces.
Description
Macaroni penguins are large, crested penguins and are similar in appearance to other members of the genus Eudyptes, such as the royal penguin. However, the macaroni penguin is smaller than the royal penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli). Adult macaroni penguins grow to a length of about 71 centimeters and average a weight of about 5.5 kilograms. They have yellow plume-like feathers that arise from a patch on the center of their foreheads, and extend along the back of their heads. Their heads, chins, throats and upperparts are black, while the underparts are white. Their flippers are black on the uppersurface, but mainly white underneath. The macaroni penguin's large bill is orange and they have red eyes. There is a patch of bare skin from the base of the bill to the eye. Their legs and feet are pink. Males and females are similar in appearance, but males tend to be slightly larger. 3
Distribution and habitat
Macaroni penguins range from the sub-Antarctic to the Antarctic Peninsula. There are a minimum of 216 breeding colonies at 50 sites, including southern Chile, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich islands, the South Orkney and South Shetland Islands, Bouvet Island, the Prince Edward and Marion islands, the Crozet Islands, the Kerguelen Islands, the Heard and McDonald Islands, and very locally on the Antarctic Peninsula. While foraging for food, groups will range north to the islands off Australia, New Zealand, southern Brazil, Tristan da Cunha, and South Africa. 4
Behavior
Diet
The macaroni penguin's diet consists of a variety of crustaceans, squid and fish. During chick-rearing, foraging for food is generally conducted on a daily basis, with adults returning to the nest site before dark. Macaroni penguins normally forage at depths of 15 meters to 70 meters, but have been recorded diving down to 100 meters on occasions. Some night foraging does occur, but dives are much shallower, ranging from only 3 meters to 6 meters in depth. Dives rarely exceed 2 minutes in duration at any time.5
Reproduction
Female macaroni penguins can begin breeding at around 5 years of age, while the males do not normally breed until at least 6 years old. There is a greater population of males, which is why females breed at a younger age. It allows females to select more experienced males as partners and they can usually find a partner from amongst the surplus of males, as soon as they are physically able to breed. 6 Adult macaroni penguins typically begin to breed late in October, and lay their eggs in early November. Macaroni penguins build their nests on steep slopes, and make nests by digging shallow holes in mud or gravel. A fertile macaroni penguin will lay 2 eggs each breeding season, which is unusual among other species of penguins who lay only 1 egg. The first egg laid is smaller and less likely to hatch. It is often ignored by the penguin and quite often eaten by predators, including other larger birds such as gulls skua gulls. The smaller egg may also be lost to fighting among in the penguin colony. The second egg is larger and more likely to hatch. Incubation, or keeping the egg warm, is done by both the male and female in long shifts. The second egg hatches around 34 days after it is laid. Macaroni penguins leave their breeding colony by April or May.7
Early Life
From the moment the egg is hatched, the male macaroni penguin cares for the newly hatched chick. For about 3 weeks, or 23 to 25 days, the male protects its offspring and helps to keep it warm, since only a few of its feathers have grown in at this point. The female brings food to the chick every 1 to 2 days. At this early stage, chicks have not grown their adult feathers. When they are not being protected by the adult male penguins, the chicks form groups with each other called 'creches'. They do this in order to keep warm and stay protected. Once their adult feathers have grown in, at about 60 to 70 days, they are ready to go out to sea on their own. 8
Predators
The macaroni penguin's predators consist of birds and aquatic mammals. Leopard seals and antarctic fur seals are their main predators on land. Leopard seals take some adult penguins, usually unexpectedly, just as they enter the water. Birds, especially skuas and sheathbills, prey on macaroni penguin eggs and dead chicks. 9
References
- ^ Liddell, Henry George and Robert Scott (1980). A Greek-English Lexicon (Abridged Edition). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
- ^ Baker AJ, Pereira SL, Haddrath OP, Edge KA (2006). "Multiple gene evidence for expansion of extant penguins out of Antarctica due to global cooling". Proc Biol Sci. 273 (1582): 11–17. doi:. PMID 16519228, http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1560011. Retrieved on 21 March 2008.
- ^ Atkinson, Kathie (2003-2008). "Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus)", Arkive. Retrieved on 11 November 2008.
- ^ Curry, Tiera. "Macaroni Penguin", Center for Biological Diversity. Retrieved on 17 November 2008.
- ^ Green, K.; R. WIlliams, M.G. Green (1997-05-07). "Foraging ecology and diving behaviour of Macaroni Penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus at Heard Island". Marine Ornithology 26: 27-34. hi dumb nuts BUTT HOLES, http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/26/26_5.pdf. Retrieved on 6 October 2008.
- ^ Bingham, Mike (2006). "Macaroni Penguin", International Penguin Conservation Work Group. Retrieved on 11 November 2008.
- ^ "Macaroni Penguins", Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts (2005). Retrieved on 4 November 2008.
- ^ Reynolds, Katie (2001). "Eudyptes chrysolophus", Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved on 11 November 2008.
- ^ L, J. J. (2004). "Macaroni Penguin", Penguin Spirit. Retrieved on 12 November 2008.
