Moulting gentoo penguin. Photo by B. Wienecke

Vital Statistics

Scientific name: Pygoscelis papua

Weight: 5-8 kg variable throughout the season and different between males and females

Height: ~75 cm

Breeding age: Can start at 2 years of age, but most birds start at 3-4 years

Breeding frequency: Annual

Breeding season: Late September to March

Age to fledging: About 100 days

Longevity: Not known but probably 20+ years

Pygoscelis means “rump-legged” and “Papua” is the Malay name
for New Guinea. There have never been any penguins in New Guinea
though…

Foraging Statistics

What do I eat? Crustaceans (e.g. krill) and fish

What eats me? Fur seals, leopard seals, skuas, giant petrels

Range trip time: A few hours to a few days

Range trip length: Usually less than 40 km but can be up to 100 km

Depth of water where foraging: About 200 m, the penguins though don’t dive that deep. Most dives go to 70 – 100 m.

Extreme dive depth/time: 166 m, a bit more than 3 minutes

Distribution & Abundance

Distribution: Circumpolar, breeding colonies are located on most subantarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula.

Abundance: Approximately 300,000 pairs in 1993

Population Status

Not globally threatened, some populations appear to be decreasing.

General Comments

Gentoo penguin colonies are rather mobile from year to year, with their locations shifting about significantly. When they decide to breed on flat ground, elephant seals can be a problem, so it is not unusual to see gentoo penguins breeding on the tops of small hills along the coastline. On many islands, gentoo penguins are present all year, including at Heard Island.

More information can be found on other Heard Island penguin species by following the links below.