Little Blue Penguin

 

Animal Unique | Little Blue Penguin | The Little blue penguin is the smallest species of penguin. The Little blue penguin, which usually grows between 30 and 33 cm high.  It can be found on the coasts of South Australia and New Zealand. Apart from Little blue penguins, they have several common names. In Australia they are also known as Fairy Penguins because of their small size. In New Zealand, they are called Little Blue Penguins or just Blue Penguins, owing to their slate-blue plumage, and they are called Korora in Maori.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:     Aves
Order:     Sphenisciformes
Family:     Spheniscidae
Genus:     Eudyptula
Species:     E. minor

Like all penguins, the Little blue penguin wings evolved into flippers used for swimming. Few blues have a slightly different "smoking" in that they sport slate blue feathers on the back with a white belly. Little blue penguins are known for the variety of calls that they use to communicate at sea, the territory to explain and for friends to call. The head and upper parts are blue in color, with slate-gray ear coverts fading to white below, from the chin to the abdomen. The flippers are blue.

These birds feed by hunting fish, squid and other small marine animals, which they travel and dive quite extensively. They are generally coastal feeders. Little blue penguins mature at different ages. The female matures after two years of age. But the male matures at three years old. Little blue penguins only remain faithful to their partner while breeding and hatching. At other times of year they tend to share burrows. They show site fidelity to their breeding colonies and nesting sites for subsequent years.

 

 

Little blue penguins live year round in large colonies, with each individual breeding pair who cave in to their chicks (two of which are born at a time, usually about 2 days apart) to increase. One is the heir of the family and the other is the reserve, in case something happens to the first. Little blue penguins typically return to their colonies to feed their chicks at dusk. The birds will tend to come ashore in small groups to some defense against predators that can select from one person to provide one. In Australia, the strongest colonies are usually cat-free and fox-free islands.

Little blue penguins in the wild are sometimes attacked by New Zealand fur seals. Little penguins on Middle Island in Warrnambool, Victoria were subject to heavy predation by foxes, the island could be reached at low tide by a tidal sand bridge. The deployment of Maremma sheepdogs to protect the penguin colony has deterred the foxes and the penguin population could rebound. In Sydney, snipers are deployed to a colony of little penguins to protect. This effort is in addition to the support of local volunteers, who work for the penguins to protect against attacks at night.

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