Little Penguin
Eudyptula minor
The smallest penguin in the world, dressed in blue.
Little penguins are only about 30 cm tall and weigh about 1 kg. They live around the coasts of southern Australia and New Zealand, where the Māori name for them is kororā. They spend the day fishing at sea and only come ashore after dark.
On the conservation status
Listed as Least Concern worldwide, with about 470,000 birds. But some colonies are shrinking, and in New Zealand the kororā is officially "At Risk – Declining".
- Height
- About 30 cm
- Weight
- About 1 kg
- Lifespan
- Up to 25 years
- Diet
- Small fish, squid and crustaceans
- Dive depth
- Usually under 50 m
- Range
- Southern Australia and New Zealand
The good stuff.
The night shift
Little penguins are the only penguins that are truly nocturnal on land. They leave before dawn, and at dusk they gather offshore in groups called rafts before coming home in the dark.
Blue, not black
Instead of black, a little penguin's back is medium to dark indigo-blue, with white underneath.
Home is a burrow — or under a building
They nest in burrows, caves, rock crevices and under logs, and sometimes under buildings near the shore.
Fishing close to home
While they're raising chicks, they feed within about 20 km of the colony, chasing small fish and squid in water usually less than 50 m deep.
Dangerous neighbours
On land, dogs, cats, ferrets and stoats kill them and cars run them over. At sea, some drown in set nets.
Too hot to handle
Hot springs and summers can kill chicks and adults from overheating, especially where they nest in open vegetation instead of cool burrows.
Wait, really?
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Kororā is their Māori name, and they used to be called little blue penguins.
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A grown-up little penguin weighs about as much as a bag of sugar.
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They lay one or two eggs, which take up to 36 days to hatch.
What it sounds like
You're hearing little penguins calling at dusk in New Zealand.
Noisy at night: once they're ashore, they bray, growl and trumpet from their burrows.
Recording: Benchill · CC BY 3.0 · Source
Where you might see one
Coasts around southern Australia and New Zealand. Some colonies have viewing areas where you can watch them come ashore at dusk.
The trouble
- Dogs, cats, ferrets and stoats
- Cars, and building on the coasts where they nest
- Set nets, boat strikes and oil spills
- Warming seas changing their food supply
One real thing
If you live near a little penguin colony, keep dogs on a lead near the beach at night and drive slowly on coast roads after dark.
More ways to help