Snares Penguin

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Snares Penguin

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Sphenisciformes
Family:	Spheniscidae
Genus:	Eudyptes
Species:	E. robustus

Binomial name

Eudyptes robustus
Oliver, 1953

The Snares Penguin (Eudyptes robustus), also known as the Snares Crested Penguin and the Snares Islands Penguin, is a penguin from New Zealand. It breeds on The Snares, a group of islands off the southern coast of the South Island.

This is a medium-small, yellow-crested penguin, at a size of about 55 cm (22 in) and a weight of 3.4 kg (7.6 lbs). It has dark blue-black upperparts and white underparts. It has a bright yellow eyebrow-stripe which extends over the eye to form a drooping, bushy crest. It has bare pink skin at the base of its large red-brown bill.

This penguin nests in small (10 nests) to large (1200 nests) colonies under forest cover or the open. Main colonies are located on North East Island, other colonies are established on Broughton Island as well as the rocky Western Chain. The Snares penguins' main prey is krill (~60% of diet), supplemented by squid (~20%) and small fish (~20%).

The species is currently rated as 'vulnerable' by the IUCN as its breeding range is restricted to one small island group. The current population is estimated at around 30,000 breeding pairs.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2005). Eudyptes robustus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 6 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable