Did you know that New Zealand has the largest variety of penguin species in the world? What most people may not know is the fact that 6 out of 18 species of penguins live in New Zealand. Some of the islands are designated as research islands and are not open to the general public, but New Zealand is the ideal country where you can see a large number of penguins.
Place
New Zealand is an island nation in the Oceania region.
penguins in new zealand
There are 18 types of penguins in the world. 6 of them (7 including subspecies) live in New Zealand, making it the perfect country for animal tourism. We will introduce them one by one.
little penguin
Little penguins live throughout New Zealand. The smallest of the penguin species. The body length is about 40 cm, and the weight is about 1 kg. Unlike other penguins, little penguins do not walk upright, but rather lean forward. They go out to sea at dawn and come out on land after sunset, often forming flocks.
| Area | Whole New Zealand |
| Height | 40cm |
| Weight | 1kg |
| Lifespan | 17 years |
| Feed | Squid and Octopus |
fiordland penguin
Fiordland penguins live from Fiordland to Stewart Island in southwestern New Zealand. They live on crustaceans and small fish, and have golden plumage. It got its name because it lives in Fiordland National Park, a World Heritage Site.
| Area | Fjordland, Stewart Island |
| Height | 40cm |
| Weight | 2kg |
| Lifespan | 16 years |
| Feed | Crustaceans and small fish |
Yellow-eyed Penguin
This penguin is also known as the yellow-eyed penguin. These penguins live on the southeastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island, Stewart Island, Campbell Island in the south of New Zealand, and the Auckland Islands. Fiordland penguins share rookery but do not share with other penguins. They usually live by eating fish and squid.
| Area | Campbell island, Stewart Island, Auckland Islands |
| Height | 66cm |
| Weight | 3kg |
| Lifespan | 16 years |
| Feed | Squid and Octopus |
red penguin
The red penguin is a subspecies of the small penguin. It lives only in the Banks Peninsula and Motnau Island in the southeast of New Zealand, and the damage caused by invasive species is severe, and the population is declining. Compared to the little penguin, whose numbers are stable, it is a penguin that is in danger of extinction, and urgent conservation efforts are needed.
| Area | Banks Peninsula, Motnau Island |
| Height | 40cm |
| Weight | 1kg |
| Lifespan | 15 years |
| Feed | Squid and Octopus |
slater penguin
The slater penguin is the only penguin with an upright brush-like crest. They breed on two islands in the southeast of New Zealand, the Bounty Islands and the Antipities Islands, but the Antipities Islands are off limits to researchers.
| Area | Antipities Islands, bounty island |
| Height | 65cm |
| Weight | 2-7kg |
| Lifespan | 17 years |
| Feed | Crustaceans such as krill |
snare penguin
The only penguin species that breeds on the Snares Islands. Snares penguins have characteristics that make it easy to distinguish them from their fellow crest-bearing penguins. Public access to Snares Island is prohibited. The problem is that you can’t see them up close.
| Area | Snares island |
| Height | 51-61cm |
| Weight | 2-5kg |
| Lifespan | 17 years |
| Feed | Crustaceans such as krill |
southern rockhopper penguin
Southern rockhopper penguins live only in the Auckland Islands and Campbell Island. This penguin eats small fish and squid. Among the rockhopper penguins, compared to the northern rockhopper penguin, there are fewer inhabitants and there is a possibility of extinction.
| Area | Snares island |
| Height | 45-58cm |
| Weight | 3-4kg |
| Lifespan | 17 years |
| Feed | Crustaceans such as krill |
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