King penguins
King penguins and chick
King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) breed on many of the subantarctic islands between 46° and 55°S. In 1993, the population of King penguins south of the Antarctic Polar Front was estimated at approximately 1.5million breeding pairs.
King penguins are the second largest penguin, standing 85-95cm tall. Males weigh approximatley 16.5kg and females 14.3kg. King penguins are exceeded in size only by emperor penguins. King penguins have a patch of bright golden-orange feathers on their neck.
King penguins form colonies that range in size from less than 30 birds to 100s of 1000s of birds. The colonies occupy beaches, and valleys and moraines free of snow and ice, prefering level ground near the sea. At any one time chicks of various ages are present in the colonies due to the long breeding season. Eggs are laid from November to April.
King penguins typically breed in two years out of three. From courtship to the fledging of the chick may take 14 months or more. Both parents share incubation of the egg and brooding of the chick, which takes approximately 15 weeks. King penguins have no nests and their eggs are incubated on the adults' feet. Chicks are fully fledged after nine months.
At their breeding colonies King penguins are highly gregarious, although the breeding adults remain separated from non-breeding birds. Fighting among birds in these colonies is rare.
Immature and non-breeding birds disperse and travel far from breeding localities. However, chicks remain in colonies throughout the year and breeding adults return to feed chicks on an irregular basis throughout the winter. The chicks fast for long periods between meals while the adults are away feeding at sea.
King penguins forage for squid and fish at the Antarctic Polar Front (where Antarctic and subantarctic surface waters meet). They feed by persuit-diving, using their flippers to "fly" underwater.
At sea, predators of King penguins include Leopard seals and killer whales. In the colonies, skuas, sheathbills and giant petrels take eggs and young birds.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the oil, flesh, eggs and skins of King penguins were used by sealers as fuel, food and clothes where sealing occurred. Populations are now increasing at most breeding localities, in particular where recolonisation has occurred.
Related links
Taxonomic information on the King penguins
Australian Antarctic Science (AAS) projects relating to King Penguins
Australian Antarctic publications relating to King penguins
Unusual penguins
Selected publications relating to King penguins
Budd, G.M., Downes, M.C. (1965) Recolonization of Heard Island by the king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonica . The Emu 64(4). 302-316; [Ref:593]
Budd, G.M. (1968) Population increase in the king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonica , at Heard Island. The Auk 85(4). 689-690; [Ref:725]
Budd, G.M. (1974) The king penguin Aptenodytes patagonica at Heard Island. Stonehouse, B. (ed.) Biology of Penguins 337; [Ref:979]
Gales, R., Pemberton, D. (1988) Recovery after exploitation of the King penguin population at Heard Island. Australian Journal of Wildlife Research 15. 578-585; [Ref:8271]; AAS Project 751
Hindell, M.A. (1987) The diet of the king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus , at Macquarie Island. Ibis 130. 193-203; [Ref:2096]
Holmes, N.D. (2007) Comparing King, Gentoo, and Royal Penguin responses to pedestrian visitation The Journal of Wildlife Management 71(8). 2575-2582; [Ref:13262]; AAS Project 1148
Rounsevell, D.E., Copson, G.R. (1982) Growth rate and recovery of a king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus , population after exploitation. Australian Wildlife Research 9. 519-525; [Ref:1453]
Wienecke, B. (2004) Operation King Penguin In: Australian Antarctic Magazine 7. 8; [Ref:11804]; AAS Project 2295 Marchant and Higgins (1990). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds Vol 1. Oxford University Press.
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