Eastern rockhopper penguin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eastern rockhopper penguin
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Sphenisciformes
Family:	Spheniscidae
Genus:	Eudyptes
Species:	E. chrysocome
Subspecies:	E. c. filholi
Trinomial name
Eudyptes chrysocome filholi Hutton, 1878
Synonyms
Eudyptes filholi

The eastern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome filholi) is a cool seabird! It's a type of crested penguin, known for its awesome yellow feathers on its head. This penguin is a subspecies of the southern rockhopper penguin. You can find them in the chilly waters around the subantarctic regions and the Indian Ocean. They are one of the smallest crested penguins. A special feature is the pink edges around their beak.

What They Look Like

The eastern rockhopper penguin is a small, crested penguin. It has a black back and throat, with a white belly. Their feet are pink. These birds are about 45–55 centimeters (18-22 inches) long. They weigh between 2.2 and 4.3 kilograms (4.8-9.5 pounds).

They have a thin yellow stripe. This stripe starts near their forehead. It goes over their red eye. Then it splits into cool crest feathers at the back of their head. These crest feathers are long, thin, and spiky. They are bright yellow on each side of the head. Shorter black feathers join them.

Rockhopper penguins have an orange-brown beak. The eastern rockhopper penguin has special pink edges around its beak. Male and female penguins look a bit different. Males are usually bigger. They also have a thicker beak than females.

Young penguins look different from adults. Fledglings are about 65 days old. They are bluish-black all over. They don't have crest feathers yet. Their beak is also smaller and thinner. Juveniles are penguins aged 1 to 2 years old. They are black-brown with a grey throat. Their beak is brown-orange and darker than an adult's. They start to grow small yellow crest feathers. Eastern rockhopper penguins get their full adult feathers when they are 2 years old. This is called moulting.

Penguin Family Tree

Rockhopper penguins are divided into two main groups. These are the northern rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi) and the southern rockhopper penguin. These two groups are different in many ways. They have different body shapes, habits, and behaviors.

The northern rockhopper penguin is bigger. It also has longer crest feathers. Their flippers have different color patterns underneath. Their eye stripes are also different sizes. They even look for food in different water temperatures.

The southern rockhopper penguin has two subspecies. These are the eastern and the western rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome). The main difference is where they live. The western species lives near Cape Horn, South America, and the Falkland Islands. The eastern species lives in the Southern Indian and Pacific Oceans. The eastern rockhopper penguin also has those special pink edges around its beak.

Where They Live

You can find the eastern rockhopper penguin in the southern Indian and Pacific Oceans. They live from the Prince Edward Islands to the Antipodes Islands. Rockhopper penguins usually live all around the world's southern oceans. But they come to land to breed.

Eastern rockhopper penguins breed on Marion Islands and Macquarie Island. They also breed on subantarctic islands in New Zealand. These include the Antipodes Islands and Campbell Island. These penguins mostly live in the open ocean. They only come to land to breed and to moult (change their feathers).

They spend the winter months at sea. This is from about April to October. They look for food in the southern Indian Ocean. They can travel very far, about 2000 to 4000 kilometers (1200-2500 miles) from their breeding spots. They like to find food in cool waters. The ocean temperature is usually less than 4.5 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit) where they forage.

Eastern rockhopper penguins build their nests on the ground. They choose slopes or rocky shores near the coast. Their colonies can be huge. They often form on steep cliffs by the sea. These colonies can have tens of thousands of nests! Their nests are made of small pebbles. Sometimes they use a bit of plants too.

Some colonies have settled in grassy areas. But the soil often wears away over time. This happens because of penguin droppings (guano) and lots of walking. Eastern rockhopper penguins rarely go more than 200 meters (650 feet) from the coastline. This is because they need to stay close to their food supply.

How They Behave

Penguin Sounds

Eastern rockhopper penguins use special calls. Parents use them to find their chicks. This happens when they return to the colony with food. They also have a song for courtship. It's a short, repeated, rhythmic song that goes up in pitch. An adult's song can have 5 to 30 parts. The first part is the longest. Chicks and adults use a very short, sharp bark as a contact call.

What They Eat

Eastern rockhopper penguins eat many different things. They feed on fish, crustaceans (like crabs and shrimp), and cephalopods (like squid). Their diet can change depending on the time of year.

Before they moult, they mostly eat crustaceans. During breeding season, they eat a lot of euphausiids (a type of krill) if they are in the Marion Islands. What they eat also depends on where they breed. For example, chicks on Campbell Island mostly eat dwarf cod.

Rockhopper penguins need a steady food source close to their nests. This is important to feed their chicks. But if they have to, they can travel far. They might go up to 120 kilometers (75 miles) from their breeding grounds to find food.

They dive for food during the day. Most of their hunting happens then. Their deepest dives are usually at sunrise. When they look for food, they often stay about 6 meters (20 feet) deep. They can dive down 30-50 meters (100-165 feet) to catch their prey. They like to hunt in cool waters. These waters are usually full of food. They also choose areas with strong ocean currents called eddies. These currents help gather many prey species together.

Some animals hunt rockhopper penguins. These predators include fur seals and sea lions. Also, brown skuas (Stercorarius antarcticus) and northern giant petrel (Macronectes halli) eat their eggs and chicks.

How They Have Babies

The breeding season for eastern rockhopper penguins starts in October. The males arrive at the breeding colony first. The females follow soon after. Pairs begin their courtship. Both the male and female don't eat for a while. The female usually lays the first eggs around early November.

After the eggs are laid, both parents share the duties. They both take turns sitting on the eggs. They also fast (don't eat) during this first incubation period, which lasts about 7 days. After this, the female takes the first long turn incubating alone. The male goes to sea to find food. This can last up to 3 weeks.

When the male returns, he takes over incubating. The female then goes to find food for about 10 days. By the time she comes back, the chicks have hatched! After the chicks hatch, the male guards them. He continues to fast. The female goes to find food and brings it back for the chicks.

When the chicks are about 24 days old, they form groups called creches. A creche is like a nursery group for young birds. This allows both parents to go find food. They both return with food for the chicks. Parents keep feeding their chicks until they fledge. This means they are ready to leave the nest. This happens around February, when the chicks are about 65 days old. Adult penguins return to the breeding colony in April. They moult their feathers before spending the winter at sea.

Dangers and Protection

The eastern rockhopper penguin is considered a vulnerable species. This means their numbers are dropping fast. This drop is mostly seen in their breeding areas. It's easiest to count them there. Most research agrees that fewer rockhopper penguins are around because there isn't enough food. Also, the food they find isn't as good quality. This is mainly caused by climate change.

Climate change is making sea surface and ocean temperatures change. This affects where their prey (food) lives. Rockhopper penguins, like many other animals, are sensitive to changes in water temperature. Because of this, adult penguins have to travel farther from their breeding colonies to find food. They often come back with less food for their chicks. This means the chicks don't grow as big or strong.

Not enough food also affects their moulting period. Moulting is when penguins grow new feathers. It takes a lot of energy. Penguins need to be strong and have enough body fat for this. If they don't eat well, more penguins die during moulting season. Not enough good quality food in winter also leads to more adult penguins dying.

Climate change has also caused more and stronger storms in their breeding areas. Strong winds can move prey populations away. This makes it harder for penguins to find food.

See also

In Spanish: Eudyptes chrysocome filholi para niños