![]() South Island records include Brighton, Dunedin (March 1877), Waikouaiti (March 1877), Taiaroa Head (before 1927), Otago Peninsula (1938 and January 2017), Dunedin (March 1976), Moeraki (March 1986), Colac Bay, Southland (February 1997), north of Kaikoura (March 1997), Nugget Point (February 2004), Hampden Beach (February 2006). These numbers may seem large, but the species is in decline and is classified by the IUCN as vulnerable.įour North Island records for: Napier (1880-81), Lyall Bay, Wellington (June 1926), Cape Palliser (February 2007) and Tora, Wairarapa (February 2013). The largest populations are on South Georgia (c.2.5 million pairs, formerly 5.5 million pairs), Crozet (2.4 – 3.9 million pairs), Kerguelen (c.1.8 million pairs), Heard Island (c.1 million pairs) and McDonald Island (c.1 million pairs). Vagrant birds are occasionally recorded on New Zealand subantarctic islands, the New Zealand mainland (mainly Otago), Tasmania, South Australia, the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica, and South Georgia. The total population of macaroni penguins is estimated at just under 9 million pairs. The total population of royal penguins is estimated at around 1,600,000 birds, with the 57 colonies ranging in size from 60 to more than 160,000 pairs. There are no populations in the Pacific sector, where the macaroni penguin is replaced by the conspecific royal penguin, and further north by the erect-crested penguin (the next largest crested penguin). ![]() In the Indian Ocean sector macaroni penguins breed on Crozet, Kerguelen, Marion, Prince Edward, Heard and McDonald Islands. South Atlantic breeding sites include South Georgia, and South Sandwich and South Orkney Islands, with populations in the Falkland Islands and southern Chile also. Colonies on Macquarie Island are situated on the coast and on slopes up to 200 m. Macaroni penguins breed abundantly on islands situated close to the Antarctic convergence (Polar Front) in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean sectors of the Southern Ocean. They breed at Macquarie Island only, and are rarely recorded on land away from there. Like most penguins, royal penguins only come to land when required to breed or moult. Similar species: chinstrap penguin is the only other white-faced penguin, but has no crest. The erect-crested penguin is almost as large as the (dark-faced) macaroni penguin, and also has a black face and long, robust orange bill, but has paired crests that do not meet on the forehead. The main call is a deep, throbbing bray or trumpeting. Voice: like other crested penguins, very noisy at colonies. Immature birds have a less robust, darker bill and reduced crest, but always have some chrome yellow feathers on the forehead. The eye is red-brown, and the legs and feet pink with black soles. The remaining upperparts are blue-black, and the underparts silky white. This last character is contra all other crested penguins, which have two separate crests that do not meet on the forehead. ![]() The dark-faced 'macaroni' subspecies shares their enormous orange bill, prominent pink skin at the bill base, and scruffy orange-yellow crests that meet on the forehead. They differ from all other crested penguins in that most birds have white faces (sometimes pale grey or dark gray). Royal penguins are large crested penguins, approaching the size of yellow-eyed or gentoo penguins. The dark-faced nominate subspecies (macaroni penguin) is a very rare vagrant to New Zealand. It was given its name by 19th century sailors after members of the ‘Macaroni Club’, a pejorative term for young men with outlandish tastes or fashion sense. Royal penguins are rare vagrants to New Zealand, but have occurred as far north as Napier. They are easily recognised by their white faces, massive orange bills, and scruffy orange-yellow crests that meet on the forehead. Royal penguins are the largest of the crested penguins, and are endemic to Macquarie Island, an Australian-administered subantarctic island south-west of New Zealand.
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