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There are 17 species of penguins:
Adelie
Adelie penguins are the smallest of the Antarctic penguins. One way to
distinguish them from the other penguins is by their all black head and
the white ring around their eyes.
African Penguin
African penguins have a black upside down U-shape on their neck with black
speckles on their chest. African penguins live and breed on the coast of
South Africa.
Chinstrap
Chinstrap penguins get their name from the small black band that runs under
their chin. Chinstrap penguins are the most common penguins with a population
of about 13 million.
Emperor
Emperor penguins are the largest penguin species. They are nearly 4 feet tall
and weigh up to 90 pounds. Emperor penguins are easily identifiable by their
size and the orange “glow” on their cheeks.
Erect-crested
Inhabitants of the sun-antarctic oceans, erect-crested penguins breed
in large colonies on rocky coasts, often climbing very steep faces to
breed on rock platforms. Will often breed alongside rockhopper penguins.
The majority of the breeding population is on the remote Antipodes and
Bounty Islands, with smaller numbers on the Auckland
Islands.
Fairy
The Fairy penguin is the smallest penguin species and is found only in
southern Australia and New Zealand. Their dense waterproof plumage is
dark blue on the upper parts of the body and white on the
underside.
Flordland crested
The head, throat and upperparts are black and underparts are white. The
sulphur-yellow crest starts at the base of the base of the bill, extends
over the eye and droops down the back of the head. Fiordland crested penguins
breed in the rainforests along the rugged coastline of New Zealand’s
Fiordland and Stewart Island.
Galapagos
The northern most colony of penguins are located in the Galapagos Islands.
The Galapagos penguins can survive close to the equator because the Humboldt
current brings cold waters to the islands from the Antarctic.
Gentoo
Gentoo penguins live on many of the islands of the Antarctic region but the
main colony is on the Falklands. Gentoo penguins are easily identifiable by
the wide white stripe over the top of their head. It runs from one eye to
the other.
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