The Fairy Penguin (Eudyptula Minor)
The Fairy Penguin, also known as the Little Penguin, is a flightless seabird that is the smallest of all the penguin species, standing at approximately 30 to 35cm tall. The Fairy Penguin’s upper body and flippers are blue-grey in colour whilst their underbelly and throat are white in colour. Their bills are black, their feet are pale pink and they have silvery-grey eyes.
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The Fairy Penguin
http://www.factzoo.com/birds/little-penguin-little-blue-fairy.html |
Environment
Distribution of Fairy Penguin
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=1085 Burrow of the Fairy Penguin
http://www.pbase.com/image/53939825 |
Fairy Penguin colonies can be found along the southern coast of Australia, from Perth to Coffs Harbour in New South Wales. The colonies can be found on mainland Australia but are mainly restricted to offshore islands such as Phillip Island. The preferred environment is cool, temperate, coastal and offshore waters.
Fairy Penguins spend the majority of their time out at sea during the day before going on land at night. The waters that the Fairy Penguin inhabits are usually temperate seas where water temperatures are between 13C and 20C. On land, Fairy Penguins live on sandy dunes or rocky shores near to the water, which is where they build their burrows. Fairy Penguin burrows usually consists of an 80cm tunnel with a nest made from grass or seaweed. The on land temperature range is 10-15C in the winter and 25-30C in the summer. At Phillip Island, where the Penguin Parade occurs, the Fairy Penguin colony will have an average of 23.8C in the summer (January and February) and 13.7C in the winter (July) with an annual rainfall of 782.3mm. |
Challenges
On the mainland, a Fairy Penguins main threat is dogs, cats and foxes that attack the adults and the chicks. The Fairy Penguin is vulnerable to these predators, as they do not have the same agility on land that they do in the water.
In the water, fur or leopard seals can eat fairy penguins or gulls and sea-eagles may catch them and force them to regurgitate the food from the hunt.
Seasonal changes can change food supplies so many young penguins can be washed up on beaches either dead or in a weak condition after spending several days out at sea.
Human activity has also been a threat to fairy penguins. Thoughtless activities such as gill nets can drown fairy penguins. Oil spills are not only toxic when ingested but damage natural insulation, allowing the cold to get pass the Fairy Penguin's feathers. Human rubbish such as plastic may be swallowed or become stuck around the neck, chocking the penguin.
In the water, fur or leopard seals can eat fairy penguins or gulls and sea-eagles may catch them and force them to regurgitate the food from the hunt.
Seasonal changes can change food supplies so many young penguins can be washed up on beaches either dead or in a weak condition after spending several days out at sea.
Human activity has also been a threat to fairy penguins. Thoughtless activities such as gill nets can drown fairy penguins. Oil spills are not only toxic when ingested but damage natural insulation, allowing the cold to get pass the Fairy Penguin's feathers. Human rubbish such as plastic may be swallowed or become stuck around the neck, chocking the penguin.
Adaptations
Structural: Like other penguins, the fairy penguin spends a lot of time in the water so their feathers need to act to insulate to protect them from getting cold. The bases of the feather are fluffy and downy which traps the insulating air close to the body however the tips are stiff to prevent water pressure from letting the insulating air out. These tips overlap each other and are able to act as a waterproof barrier by covering the down layer.
Behavioural: The fairy penguin has the ability to sleep at sea by dozing on the surface of the water. As the fairy penguin spends its day in the sea -sometimes far away from land –there is no place for them to stop and rest. Being able to sleep out at sea by floating on the surface, allows them to stop to rest and conserve energy, rather than pacing themselves when they return to travelling. Physiological: Adult fairy penguins regurgitate their food for their young ones. When the adults are out hunting, they partially digest their food so when they get back to the burrow, they adults will regurgitate this food into the chick's mouth. Parents need to do this because penguins do not have the ability to make milk and the parents are unable to carry back enough food for the chicks. Without this, the chicks would starve. |
The fairy penguin has insulating feathers to prevent them from getting cold in the water.
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/penguinisland/about/ |
Rhythmic Pattern
The Penguin Parade at Phillip Island
http://www.visitphillipisland.com/listing/penguin-parade/ |
During the daytime, fairy penguins go out to sea to hunt for food. Sometimes, the fairy penguin can be out at sea for several days but on most days, a fairy penguin colony will leave their nest about 1-2 hours before sunrise and return to their burrows at dusk or just after sunset. The Fairy Penguins do not return until this hour because they are afraid that predators might attack them as they cross the beach during the day. Their dark feathers allow them to camouflage with the dark night sky, making returning home at this hour safer.
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Interesting Fact
The Fairy Penguin has an annual moult which takes about 15 days. The penguins do not go out to sea during this time because they do not have any waterproofing, so they stay in their burrows and do not eat.