Antarctica Pictures | Antarctica Cruise | Facts | History | Sandals | Store | Clothes | Whales | Books | Video | Schools | Forum | Site Map | FIDS / OAE's

Chinstrap penguins
Pygoscelis antarctica

Estimated population: 5 million breeding pairs
Breeding Season: December - March
Distribution: Sub Antarctic and Antarctic islands, Antarctic Peninsula.
Height: 68cm - 27 inches
Weight: 4.5kg - 10lb

Antarctic penguin fact file | Adélie penguins | Chinstrap penguins | Emperor penguins | Gentoo penguins | King penguins
Antarctic Animal Adaptations | Krill | How penguins survive the cold | Weddell Seals | Antarctic Fur Seal | Southern Elephant Seal | Other birds | Albatross | Snow Petrel | Whales

Animals Info  Pictures: Emperor penguin pictures 2 3 4 | Buy Penguin pictures | Buy Emperor penguin pictures | Buy King penguin pictures

1/ What are chinstrap penguins like?

4/ How much do young penguins eat?

2/ Does snowfall like this cause hardships for the young? 5/ Why is this penguin so pale?
3/  Is this really the nest the penguins use?
1/ What are chinstrap penguins like?
Called Chinstrap penguins because of their characteristic band of dark feathers under the chin that appears to be keeping their dark hats on, these are the smallest of three species of Pygoscelis penguins.  

They average about 4.5kg and 68cm tall. According to the books they are particularly noisy and aggressive, infiltrating and taking over Adélie colonies, though from what I saw of them I would put them behind Adélies in aggression and volume.

This picture was taken in a chinstrap colony during a spring snow-fall, most of the penguins had eggs and many had chicks so the adults on the nests had to play the parental role to the full protecting the young from the cold by laying down, and occasionally getting up to shake off the accumulated snow.  

It stopped snowing shortly after this and the temperature being just above freezing, the snow melted fairly quickly and so posed little or no danger to the young on this occasion.

 

2/ Does snowfall like this cause hardships for the young?
After the snow had finished the penguins stood up and shook themselves, the chicks that had been sheltering under the parents were well and seem to be resenting the fact that mum or dad had stood up and weren't keeping them quite so snug any more!

This parent is awaiting the return of its partner who will have been out at sea fishing for the krill that these penguins feed almost exclusively on, catching it  further inshore than other penguin species. The parent that goes fishing fills themselves up on food and then collects extra in their stomach to bring back and regurgitate for the chicks.

 

3/  Is this really the nest the penguins use?
Chinstraps along with many other species of penguins return to the same colony each year and often settle within a very short distance of the same nest site.  

The nest is a very simple affair of a pile of small stones, the main purpose being to separate it from other nests and to raise it above the surrounding ground so that melt-water from snow doesn't wet the eggs or chicks.  

Small stones are in short supply in the penguin colonies and so squabbles are commonplace and frequent, particularly as penguins are experienced kleptomaniacs taking nesting material from any other nest that is inadequately guarded.

These two chinstrap chicks are blissfully unaware of the dramas that await them in the not too distant future.

 

4/ How much do young penguins eat?
Waiting patiently for their next meal. Chinstrap chicks get fed about once a day on average, with the returning parent bringing back about 300g of krill.  

Fishing trips take the adults around 20-30 kilometres from the colony, though distances of well over 200 kilometres have been recorded. The young remain on the nest, looked after in turns by each parent until they are large enough to maintain their own body temperature and can wander around freely.  

At this point they form a "crèche" with other chinstrap penguin chicks, huddling together for protection against the worst of the weather and predators. It also leaves both parents free to go fishing so increasing the food supply for the rapidly growing chicks.

 

5/ Why is this penguin so pale?
Some species are prone to producing occasional individuals like this, known as "leuchistic" forms or sometimes as "blonde" penguins.

Not albinos as they do have pigment, but not as much as the more normal members of the species. These penguins would always hang around the breeding grounds with others of their species, though I never saw one that had any success in breeding - incubating eggs, building a nest etc. Maybe they were just a little too different for the other penguins.

Konrad Wothe - B-R-R-R-R-R-R!
B-R-R-R-R-R-R!
18 in x 24 in
Poster
Buy from USA

Penguins photobook
Penguin
 Photobook by Frans Lanting, Christine K. Eckstrom
   Buy from Amazon USA USA | UK Buy from Amazon UK

March of the Penguins (Widescreen Edition)
March of the Penguins
Widescreen
DVD
Buy from Amazon USA USA | UK Buy from Amazon UK


Penguins National Geographic 2009 Wall Calendar
$13.99

Penguin Poser Art Kids T-Shirt
Penguin T-Shirts

Antarctica Fact File Index

 

Antarctica (Country Guide)
Lonely Planet travel guide Antarctica
USA
Buy from Amazon USA | UK Buy from Amazon UK

Antarctica Cruising Guide
Antarctica Cruising Guide
USA Buy from Amazon USA | UK Buy from Amazon UK

Penguin - Jackass, black and white line
CoolAntarctica
Store


Shackleton 2002
Buy from Amazon USA DVD Buy from Amazon UK DVD

The Endurance - Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition
The Endurance - Shackleton's Legendary Expedition
Dramatization with original footage

Buy from Amazon USA DVD
  Buy from Amazon UK DVD

Encounters at the End of the World
Encounters at the End of the World (2007)

Director: Werner Herzog
Buy from Amazon USA 
DVD   Buy from Amazon UK  DVD

Antarctica: Secrets of the Southern Continent
Antarctica: Secrets of the Southern Continent
USA Buy from Amazon USA | UK Buy from Amazon UK

See Our Media Store, Books, DVD and more

Google
This Site  Web
Home | Site Map | Pictures | Antarctica Stock Photos | Facts | History | Antarctica Travel | Clothing | Video | Books | Calendars | Forum | FIDS | Feedback | Antarctica Map | Buy pictures | Find a trip to Antarctica | Ballet flats | Boots | Schools

Cool Antarctica visitors guest map

Copyright 2001 Paul Ward  copyright issues  |  privacy policy  |     |  Last modified:  June 22, 2009