Stats

Lifespan: 15-26 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Subantarctic coast
Range: Subantarctic islands
Movement: Swimming
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Herd Safety
Status: Uncommon

About

The King Penguin is the second-largest penguin species, standing up to 100 cm tall, and is renowned for its striking orange-gold ear patches that blaze against its black-and-white plumage. Unlike most birds, King Penguins never build a nest — they incubate their single egg on top of their feet beneath a warm brood pouch.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
2.
hatchling
A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
3.
juvenile
A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
4.
adult
Fully grown with adult plumage.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Genus: Aptenodytes
Species: Aptenodytes patagonicus