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THE BLUE PENGUIN

There are 17 different species of penguins, most of them living in huge colonies calledrookeries along the coast of Antarctica and nearby island. Penguins are superb swimmers,using their wings as flippers to push them through the water, and steering with their webbedfeet. Penguins have coats waterproofed with oil and thick fat so they can survive intemperatures as low as -60

Penguins can leap high out of the water to the land on an ice bank, but on land theycan only waddle clumsily or toboggan along on their bellies.The blue or little penguin (

Eudyptula minor

), also known in Maori as korora, can befound in many places around New Zealand and Southern Australia and is the world's smallest penguin. They only come ashore under the cover of darkness and live underground in burrows. Although quite common, its small size and unusual habits make it rarely seen.The blue penguin stands just 25 cm tall and weighs a little over 1 kilogram. The plumage is slate-blue with a bright white belly. Juveniles are indistinguishable from adults.Both sexes are alike, although the male is a little heavier and usually has a larger bill.There are several distinct races of blue penguins and some argue that they should besplit up into sub-species. Perhaps the most distinct is the "white-flippered" penguin of Canterbury; however genetic tests have shown it not to be as distinct as its plumage wouldsuggest.Blue penguins make a variety of calls to keep in contact at sea (barks), declareterritory and advertise for mates (brays) and to let the neighbors know they are home (croon).The only call chicks make is a high pitch peeping as they beg for food. Artificialnest boxes are readily adopted.Blue penguins breed underground in burrows or natural holes, although they will

make use of any man-made cavity. Near human habitation it is not uncommon to find themnesting under buildings, stacks of timber or even railway tracks.Blue penguins in New Zealand have rather variable breeding seasons. The core egg-laying period for most of New Zealand is September to November, and only one clutch islaid. In good food years, blue penguins in Otago will egg-lay from May to February, withmany pairs raising two clutches of chicks.Usually two eggs are laid and are incubated for 36 days, with both parents sharing theincubation and feeding duties. The chicks are guarded by one parent for the first 2-3 weeks,after which both parents must go to sea to keep up the supply of fish. Chick growth is rapid,with adult weight (1000g) being achieved in 4-5 weeks. Chicks usually fledge at 8 weeks andare independent from then on.Blue penguins usually breed for the first time at 2-3 years of age. Long term partnerships are the norm, but divorce is not uncommon. There is a high rate of juvenilemortality, but individuals can reach up to 25 years of age.Blue penguins are very faithful to their home site. Chicks will often return to within afew meters of where they were raised and once settled in an area never move away. A smallnumber (<1%) of juveniles disperse to other breeding sites.Blue penguins feed on a variety of surface schooling fish, squid and crustaceans.Although dive depths of 60m have been recorded, 10-20m is more common. The averagedive time is 24 seconds. Blue penguins usually feed within 25km of the coast and may makedaily round-trips of up to 75km. Long winter feeding trips of up to 750 km (one way) have been recorded. Blue penguins can reach speeds of up to 6km/hr underwater.Predation by introduced mustelids (ferrets, stoats, and weasels) has decimated manymainland colonies. In publicly accessible areas, dogs have been major predators - particularlyof penguins returning from the sea. At Chatham and Stewart Islands, the southern brown skua

also attacks blue penguins returning from the sea.The population and range of the species has been declining in areas not protectedfrom predation, resulting in the NZ Department of Conservation ranking the blue penguin as"Lower risk - near threatened". Where predator control is in place, populations have beenstable or increasing. Nest boxeshave been useful in some habitat restoration efforts.Because blue penguins are only active on land at night they can be hard to view,however there are places one can view them.