Rockhopper penguins are one of the smaller species of penguin, and certainly one of the most recognisable! There are three sub-species of penguin: Eastern, Northern & Southern.
Nothern & Southern Rockhopper penguins look very similar. Another interesting fact is that males and females are visually identical and require DNA testing to determine their gender.
They have spiky yellow and black crests on their head, and like many other species of penguin, they have a white belly and black body. They also have orange beaks, red eyes and pink webbed feet. Although the yellow and black feathers on their head makes Rockhoppers very distinguishable, chicks don’t have them. The orange beak starts off as black when young, but eventually changes colour as the penguin ages.
This species of penguin are very light, weighing up to 2.5kg.
In the wild Rockhopper penguins generally live to about 10 years old.
The diet of the Rockhopper penguins consists mostly of krill and small crustaceans including crabs, crayfish or lobsters. They are also known to eat myctophid fish and squid. The changing seasons can affect the diet of the Rockhopper as can migration patterns. This species of penguin tend to eat more krill than fish and can be at sea hunting for several days on end.
As they are among the smaller species of penguin it’s no surprise to find out that Rockhopper penguins are not big at all! They grow to around 50cm in height.
Generally they can be found within the Southern Oceans, but have been known to travel as far north as the southernmost tip of South America and Africa.
Southern Rockhopper penguins often breed in Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with breeding colonies in Islands including Prince Edward, Gough, Crozet, Marion, Kerguelen, Campbell, Auckland, and Antipodes.
Eastern Rockhoppers are largely found breeding on Campbell Island in New Zealand, however the Eastern Rockhopper population has unfortunately declined significantly.
Northern Rockhoppers prefer to breed in cool climates that include the islands of St. Paul and Manchester in the Indian Ocean and Tristan da Cunha and Gough in the Atlantic Ocean
They belong to the Spheniscidae family.
Rockhopper penguins prefer to use rocky shorelines as their habitat, making nests and burrows in tall grasses called tussocks. They keep close to the water as this is their primary source of food.
Generally the Rockhopper penguin has no land-based predators, however, when at sea they are at risk of (and hunted by) leopard seals, killer whales, blue sharks and fur seals. Chicks and eggs can be eaten when on land by a number of birds including skuas, sheathbills and giant petrels.
It’s estimated that there are currently around 1.5million pairs of Rockhopper penguins. Although they are numerous, and one of the more populated species of penguin, their population has seen a decline over recent decades. In fact, it’s suggested that their population has seen a 30% decline in the last 30 years!
It’s not entirely known why the population has seen such a sharp decline, but it’s thought that commercial overfishing, pollution and oil exploitation have played a role.
These birds will shake their yellow eyebrows when trying to attract a mate. They are also known to give out loud cries. Once they have successfully mated, both parents will take turns looking after the egg.
Aside from threats from predators, overfishing and oil spills pose significant threats to the Rockhopper penguin populations.
The IUCN red list has categorised the Northern Rockhopper penguin as Endangered due to declining populations and the Southern Rockhopper as Vulnerable.
Underwater the Rockhopper penguin can swim at speeds of around 7 km per hour. However, on land they aren’t quite this fast; in fact, they aren’t very fast at all!
You can adopt an African penguin today to support the conservation of our animals.
