#sphenisciformes

[snototter]

Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) at Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica

by Mary Bomford

[herpsandbirds]

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus), family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes, Tierra del Fuego, Chile

photograph by Alex MA

[alma-de-naturaleza]

[best-bird-tournament]

Penguin (Sphenisciformes) order / Spheniscidae family - RUNOFF

Which is the best bird?

Little penguin

Emperor penguin

Voting ended onJan 22

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

can i request the rockhopper (macaroni) penguin?

Of course!! It looks like rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) are a different species from macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus), so I'll queue up rockhopper penguins too after this one.

Have you seen the macaroni penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onJan 30

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Reptilia - Sphenisciformes

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next order of birds are the Sphenisciformes, which contain one family, Spheniscidae, commonly called “penguins”.

Penguins are one of the most aquatic birds, highly adapted for life at sea. About half of their life is spent on land, while the other half is spent in the ocean. They are flightless, with wings modified into flippers for swimming. Their feathers are very dense, which help to both insulate the birds in cold water and trap a layer of air to ensure buoyancy. They can drink salt water because their supraorbital gland filters excess salt from the bloodstream, which is then excreted in a concentrated fluid from their nasal passages. On land, penguins either waddle on their feet or slide on their bellies across the snow while using their feet to propel and steer themselves. They also jump with both feet together if they want to move more quickly or cross steep or rocky terrain. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sea life which they catch and swallow whole while swimming, using a spiny tongue and powerful jaws to grip their slippery prey. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere; only one species, the Galápagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), is found north of the Equator. Larger penguins generally inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins inhabit regions with temperate or tropical climates.

Penguins mostly breed in large colonies, the exceptions being the Yellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) and Fiordland Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus). Penguin colonies may range in size from as few as 100 to as many as several hundred thousand, depending on species. Penguins form monogamous pairs for a breeding season, though the rate the same pair recouples the next year varies. Penguins lay one to two eggs in a clutch. Both parents share incubation duties, with the exception of the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) (image 1), where the male does it all. Incubation shifts can last days and even weeks as one member of the pair feeds at sea. Penguin eggs are smaller than any other bird species when compared proportionally to the weight of the parent birds, but the shell is thick and the yolk is large. Some yolk may remain when the chick hatches, helping to sustain the chick if their parent is delayed in returning with food.

Penguins evolved in the Early Paleocene, around 62 million years ago. There is molecular evidence of an even earlier origin, in the Late Cretaceous.

Do you have a favorite in Sphenisciformes?

One or more of my favorite animals is in Sphenisciformes

I love at least one or more of these animals

I like at least one or more of these animals

I am neutral about all of these animals

I dislike all of these animals

Voting ended onMay 5, 2025

Propaganda under the cut:

Penguins are named after the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis), a now extinct, flightless shorebird. “Penguin” was the Spanish, Portuguese, and French name for the species. When European explorers saw what are today known as penguins in the Southern Hemisphere, they noticed their similar appearance to the Great Auk of the Northern Hemisphere and named them after this bird, although they are not closely related.

A group of penguins on land is called a “waddle”, and a group of penguins in the water is a “raft”.

The largest living penguin is the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) (image 1). On average, adult Emperor Penguins are about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) tall and weigh 35 kg (77 lb).

Emperor Penguins are the world's deepest-diving birds. They can dive to depths of approximately 550 meters (1,804 feet) while searching for food.

The Emperor Penguin is able to control blood flow to their extremities, reducing the amount of blood that gets cold, but still keeping the extremities from freezing. In the extreme cold of the Antarctic winter, female Emperor Penguins are at sea fishing for food, leaving the males to brave the weather. Males often huddle together to keep warm and rotate positions to make sure that each penguin gets a turn in the centre of the heat pack.

When Emperor Penguin mothers lose a chick, they sometimes attempt to "steal" another mother's chick, usually unsuccessfully as other females in the vicinity assist the defending mother in keeping her chick.

The smallest penguin species is the Little Blue Penguin (Eudyptula minor) (image 3), also known as the Fairy Penguin, which stands around 30–33 cm (12–13 in) tall and weighs 1.2–1.3 kg (2.6–2.9 lb).

Some prehistoric penguin species were as large as humans, with the largest known being Kumimanu fordycei, which reached an estimated weight of 148–159.7 kg (326.3-352 lbs).

Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua) are the fastest underwater birds in the world. They are capable of reaching speeds up to 36 km (22.4 miles) per hour while searching for food or escaping from predators. They are also able to dive to depths of 170–200 meters (558-656 feet).

Around one in 50,000 penguins (of most species) are born with brown rather than black plumage. These are called isabelline penguins. Isabellinism is different from albinism. Isabelline penguins tend to live shorter lives than normal penguins as they are not well-camouflaged in the ocean, and are often passed over as mates.

Domestic Dogs preyed upon penguins while they were allowed in Antarctica during the age of early human exploration as sled dogs, but dogs have long since been banned from Antarctica.

Penguins had a popularity boom in the early 2000s, retaining a decade long chokehold on the media. There was rarely a year without a penguin-related movie in theaters, ranging from the animated jukebox musical “Happy Feet”, to the animated mockumentary “Surf’s Up”, to the brutally real documentary “March of the Penguins.”

The children’s book “And Tango Makes Three”, is an adaptation of the true story of a homosexual pair of Chinstrap Penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus) at the Central Park Zoo. The male penguins were given an egg to hatch after they were observed showing courtship behavior and trying to incubate a rock. The practice of giving an egg to homosexual penguin (and other bird) pairs has been repeated in other zoos. Tango, their surrogate daughter, went on to form a relationship with a female penguin. “And Tango Makes Three” is one of the most banned books in America.

Penguins of many species have been impacted by oil spills across the Southern Hemisphere, but none so much as the critically endangered African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) (image 4). Many oil spills have hit the African Penguin breeding colonies, but the most famous was on June 23, 2000, when the iron ore tanker MV Treasure sank between Robben Island and Dassen Island, South Africa. It released 400–1,000 tonnes of fuel oil, causing an unprecedented coastal bird crisis and oiling 19,000 adult penguins at the height of the best breeding season on record for this then vulnerable species. The oiled birds were brought to an abandoned train repair warehouse in Cape Town to be cared for. An additional 19,500 un-oiled penguins were removed from Dassen Island and other areas before they could become oiled and were released about 800 kilometres east of Cape Town. This gave workers enough time to clean up the oiled waters and shores before the birds could complete their long swim home (which took the penguins between one and three weeks). Tens of thousands of volunteers from around the world helped with the rescue and rehabilitation process, which was overseen by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and took more than three months to complete. This was the largest animal rescue event in history. More than 91% of the penguins were successfully rehabilitated and released: an amazing feat that could not have been accomplished without such a tremendous international response. The wild penguins are unfortunately still under threat from oil spills, as well as competition with fisheries. They were listed as critically endangered in 2024, with the remaining mature individuals numbering around 19,800 birds in a declining population. However, thanks to the tremendous rehab effort, it was discovered that African Penguins did very well in captivity, and a collaborative breeding program exists to ensure an assurance population.

African Penguins are not even the rarest penguins in the world. The endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) has experienced a significant decline over the past 20 years, with a remaining population of 2,528–3,480, owing to disease, invasive predators, and habitat loss. The endangered Galápagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is particularly vulnerable due to its only native habitat being the Galápagos Islands. They have a decreasing population of around 1,200, owing to climate change and plastic waste pollution. Unfortunately, neither of these species has fared well in captivity, so no assurance population exists. They are all we have.

[saritawolf]

Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) - (c) SaritaWolf - please do not repost

[todropscience]

MAGELLANIC PENGUINS MAY RIDE OCEAN CURRENTS TO SAVE ENERGY ON LONG JOURNEYS

New research published reveals that Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) may be far more sophisticated navigators than previously thought. By tracking 27 adult penguins from a colony in Península Valdés, Argentina, scientists discovered that these seabirds adjust their travel routes in response to ocean currents. In calm waters, the penguins swim directly toward their colony. But when facing stronger currents, they shift their paths to move with the flow, even if it means taking a longer route, ultimately conserving energy during long-distance foraging trips.

The study suggests that Magellanic penguins can detect current drift and correct their trajectories even when the coastline is out of sight. This implies a remarkable ability to integrate environmental cues and maintain efficient navigation over open ocean. While the findings are based on a single foraging trip per bird, they raise important questions about how other marine animals might also exploit dynamic ocean features like tidal flow to optimise their movements.

Photo by Frank Dietze

Reference (Open Acess): Gunner et al., 2025. Penguins exploit tidal currents for efficient navigation and opportunistic foraging. PLOS Biology