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Fiordland Penguin

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iFiordland Penguin

Image:Fiordland penguin (Mattern).jpg

Conservation status

Image:Status iucn3.1 VU.svg
Vulnerable (VU)

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Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Sphenisciformes
Family:	Spheniscidae
Genus:	Eudyptes
Species:	E. pachyrhynchus

Binomial name

Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
G R Gray, 1845

The Fiordland Crested Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) is a penguin from New Zealand. It breeds along the Fiordland coast and its outlying islands as well as on Stewart Island/Rakiura.

It is a medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, growing to approximately 60cm. It has dark, bluish-grey upperparts with a darker head, and white underparts. It has a broad, yellow eyebrow-stripe which extends over the eye and drops down the neck. Most birds have 3-6 whitish stripes on the face.

This penguin nests in colonies in dense temperate forest. It feeds on krill, fish, octopus and squid.

The current status of this penguin is vulnerable due to its small population. Current population estimates range between 2,500-3,000 pairs and is thought to have declined since the late 1980s by around 33%. It is under threat from introduced predators including Weka, dogs, cats, stoats and rats.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2005). Eudyptes pachyrhynchus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 06 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable