Little Penguin

Eudyptula minor (Forster, JR, 1781)

1.1 kgWeight

The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) is the smallest species of penguin in the world, and originates from New Zealand and Australia.

Busiest months: November · Most records: New Zealand, Australia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Little Penguin has been recorded at 51 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Kaikoura – offshore – Albatross Encounter pelagicNew Zealand909 records
Tiritiri MatangiNew Zealand718 records
Foveaux StraitNew Zealand393 records

More places

Queen Charlotte SoundNew Zealand371 records
Rakiura NP – Ulva IslandNew Zealand337 records
Stewart Island – Oban & Halfmoon BayNew Zealand304 records
Taiaroa Head – Royal Albatross CentreNew Zealand299 records
Eaglehawk Neck Pelagic TripAustralia276 records
Stewart Island – Titi Islands PelagicNew Zealand240 records
Aramoana Mole/Harbour EntranceNew Zealand224 records

Countries and regions with the most records

New Zealand Australia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) is the smallest species of penguin in the world, and originates from New Zealand and Australia. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage, and is also known by its Māori name kororā. It is a marine neritic species that dives for food throughout the day and returns to burrows on the shore at dusk.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Little Penguin?

The Little Penguin weighs around 1.1 kg.

Where does the Little Penguin live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: southern Australia and North, South, Stewart and Chatham islands (east of South Island; New Zealand). It is most often recorded in New Zealand and Australia.