Little Penguin, The Smallest In The World
The little penguin is a very interesting animal that lives on the coast of New Zealand. These are the smallest birds in the Spheniscidae family .
Penguins are known to be flightless birds. Unlike those birds that fly, penguins’ bones are hollow. That helps them swim. The little penguin is about a foot tall when fully grown and weighs about a pound.
Penguins are mainly nocturnal animals and they sometimes settle near people. Despite their tiny size, these penguins make a lot of noise during the night.
The color of the little penguin is blue. Some of them turn almost black, but most of the animals are bluish-gray in color. Just like other penguin species, their belly is white.
As with so many animal species, there are differences between males and females. The males are generally slightly larger than females. In addition, their beaks are usually a bit wider and darker.
Every day, the little penguins eat 25% of their own body weight. They feed on small fish. They are good hunters because they are very quick in the water. They owe this to their small size and light weight.
Habitat and Distribution
The little penguin lives mainly on the North, South and Stewart Islands of New Zealand. However, many penguins also visit the Three Kings Islands regularly. Aside from New Zealand, this species of penguin also lives on the southeast coast of Australia. There it is called fairy penguin and it forms part of the local legends.
The little penguin usually digs its burrows in mounds of sand or near large stones. If possible, he prefers that his nest is protected by thick vegetation. It is now known that there are at least 32,000 adult little penguins in New Zealand.
He spends most of his life swimming. This type of penguin leads a very aquatic lifestyle. You can spend several days in the water without feeling the need to return to shore.
The little penguin: reproduction
Depending on the season, the little penguin can spend almost a month in the water without having to go to the mainland. Therefore, they use their nests little and mostly during the mating season. Unlike many other birds, Little Penguins do not have a single lifelong partner. A couple can lay one or two eggs.
Both parents take turns breeding. One takes care of the eggs while the other hunts and swims. They incubate the eggs for about 35 days and then the parents feed the chick by choking up the food.
Seven to eleven weeks after hatching, the young animal is said to be fully grown. From this moment on it is assumed that the young penguin can swim alone and feed itself.
