The Penguins, one of the favourite birds to spot on Voyagers Trips

Table of content

Penguins: What and Where Are They?
Penguins are not Just Any Bird
• How does a Penguin Swim and Stay Safe?
• What Dangers do they encounter?
• What do penguins feed on?
A Penguins Life on Land
• Reproductive cycle: Eggs and Chicks
The Famous Emperor Penguins
Penguin Parade (17 Species)
Penguins of the World: Species and Regions Where They Live
Favourite Species of Penguins
• Fun Penguin facts:
FAQs

Penguin spotting and spending a little time surrounded by thousands of these amazing birds is an activity on the top of our traveler bucket lists. Voyagers Travel offers wildlife encounter trips to Antarctica, nature cruises in the Galapagos Islands and other itineraries to natural areas where travelers can spot Penguins and other amazing wildlife. The one thing our travel clients rave about is how many penguins they spot on a trip.

Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula

Wildlife Vacations to the World's Greatest Wilderness Areas

Discover the world’s most breathtaking wilderness areas on luxury wildlife vacations. From the Galapagos and Antarctica to the Amazon, encounter extraordinary wildlife, including iconic penguins, in their natural habitat.

From $23,595.00

South Georgia and Antarctic Peninsula: Penguin Safari

The Emperor Penguins of Weddell Sea

Embark on a 13-day Antarctic expedition from Ushuaia, crossing the legendary Drake Passage. Explore icy landscapes of the Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea, with exceptional penguin encounters, including emperor penguins.

Request

Sierra Negra Volcano | Isabela Island | Galapagos

Galapagos West Islands Safari 8-Day: Fernandina & Isabela

Explore the Galapagos Islands on an immersive 8-day journey through pristine beaches and volcanic landscapes. Enjoy close encounters with iconic wildlife, including Galapagos penguins, marine iguanas, and giant tortoises.

From $4,595.00

Penguins: What and Where Are They?

Penguins are birds that cannot fly, they can swim and even march or slide on snow, The smaller ones can waddle on lava rocks. They spend most of their lives at sea, they feed on fish and krill. The majority live in the coldest place on earth, in Antarctica, while some are tropical and live in places like Paracas in Peru and the Galapagos islands in Ecuador.

All penguins live between the Equator and the South Pole. While some live where it’s very cold (Antarctica), others live in warmer places like the coasts of Africa or Australia.
Penguins live on islands, coasts, and icebergs. They depend on the ocean for sourcing food, so they are always found near water by the coast.

Penguins are not Just Any Bird

Penguins are naturally designed for life at sea. If we examine their build we will notice:
Their bodies have a sleek shape for speed.
A layer of blubber under their feathers keeps them warm.
They have stiff flippers that act like boat paddles to push and steer when they swim.

Big webbed feet help with steering.
Big eyes help them see underwater and spot predators as well as food.
Soft feathers trap heat and allow them to withstand icy temperatures.
Stiff, oily feathers keep out water. They are insulated.

How does a Penguin Swim and Stay Safe?

Penguins are perhaps the best swimmers of all birds. They need this ability to feed and escape predators.

Black backs are hard to see from above.
Light bellies are hard to spot from below keeping them invisible to marine predators (leopard seals).
Strong flippers help penguins accelerate and escape predators.
Penguins can swim about 15 miles an hour.
Penguins leap out of the water when swimming fast. This is called porpoising.

What Dangers do they encounter?

In the same fashion that Penguins prey on fish, they are food for marine mammals like leopard seals and Killer whales.

On land, birds like skuas eat penguins and in tropical environments like Paracas or Galápagos cats, snakes, foxes, and rats eat penguins.

The main risk factor for penguins is global warming and the changes their environment suffer due to human intervention in nature.

What do penguins feed on?

Penguins eat mainly fish and in large quantities. They have a hooked bill, or beak, to grab food. Part of their natural evolution is the presence of barbs on their tongues and throats to help them hold slippery food.
Since they live in dry but cold places, fresh water can be hard to find. Penguins can clean salt out of ocean water and let it dribble back into the ocean, this is how they get fresh water to drink. This allows them to survive at sea for longer periods of time.

A Penguins Life on Land

Penguins live together in large colonies. Some of these can have thousands or millions of individuals. Throughout the southern cone winter, Penguins huddle together when it’s cold and take turns on the outside of the huddle.
When the long Antarctic winter is coming to an end Penguins march to nesting grounds. Penguins wave, strut, shake, call, dance, and sing as part of a mating ritual and to attract a mate. Almost all penguins are monogamous and stay with the same mate for many years.

Reproductive cycle: Eggs and Chicks

Most penguins lay two eggs, but often only one egg survives. Responsibility for the chick is shared, mother and father take turns keeping the egg warm and later feeding the newborn hatchlings.

Parents, in most cases the mothers go out to sea to find food. Chicks wait together while parents find food. During this period of time the chicks are in danger from birds and other predators.

Baby birds sing special songs to help parents find them, parents can recognize the song of their chicks amongst thousands of individuals. When the chick is fully grown the whole family returns to the sea and juveniles return to their nesting site several years later.

The Famous Emperor Penguins

Emperor penguins live deep in the southernmost part of Antarctica, mostly in the Ross sea and some colonies found in the wedel sea specifically at Snow Hill Island . They are the only birds that can survive the coldest place on Earth even throughout the -72 degree winters. Ironically, Emperor penguins nest far from the ocean. They march and slide for days and nights through snow and wind. The female lays the egg and gives it to the male to care for. While the mother is heads out into the ocean in search of food, the male keeps the egg warm under his belly.
The mother is usually gone for more than four months. The father does through a tremendous fast to the point of almost being a sacrifice, as he eats nothing but snow. The colony father's huddle with other males as they wait for the return of their female maits with the food.
Only When the mother returns, after many months, usually around July, the father goes to the ocean to feed. The food that the mother brings back is only for the Chick. She regurgitates it down it´s throat. By December (Antarctic summer), the family is ready to go out into the ocean.

Search for the Emperor — witness Antarctica’s most extraordinary penguin from the air.

Penguin Parade (17 Species)

Fairy (Little Penguin)

The smallest penguin; blue-gray, found in Australia & New Zealand.

Galapagos Penguin, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Galápagos Penguin

Only penguin living near the equator; adapted to warm climates.

Snares Penguin

Compact, crested penguin found only on New Zealand’s Snares Islands.

Rockhopper Penguin

Spiky yellow crests; famous for hopping over rocks.

Yellow-Eyed Penguin

Shy, rare penguin with pale yellow eyes and head band.

African Penguin

Also called Jackass penguin; brays like a donkey, lives in southern Africa.

Magellanic Penguin

Medium-sized, black-and-white penguin from South America.

Fiordland Crested Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus)

Fiordland Penguin

Dark-faced, crested penguin from New Zealand’s rainforests.

Erect-Crested Penguin

Tall yellow crest standing straight up; very rare.

Royal Penguin

White-faced penguin closely related to the macaroni.

Humboldt Penguin

Coastal penguin from Peru & Chile; endangered.

Penguins of the World: Species and Regions Where They Live

Illustration of penguin species around the world and the regions they inhabit, from Antarctica to South America, Africa, and Oceania

Favourite Species of Penguins

Penguin	Size	Measurements	Where to find them
Fairy	Smallest	10 to 13 inches (25-33 cm)	Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania
Galapagos	Small	19–21 inches (48–53 cm)	Galapagos Islands
Adelie	Medium	27-29 inches (70-73 cm)	Antarctic Peninsula, Ross Sea
Gentoo	Medium	70-90 cm (28-35 inches)	Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland islands, South Georgia
King	Large	70-100 cm (28-39 inches)	Falkland islands, South Georgia
Emperor	Largest	Up to 1.2 meters (4 feet)	Ross sea, Snow Hill Island

Fun Penguin facts:

Rockhoppers hop five feet high.
Penguins can slide down like sledding on snowy hills.
Penguins surf through waves.
Penguins sing to mates and chicks. This is how they find each other amongst millions of individuals.

FAQs

What do penguins eat?

Fish, octopus and even krill.

Where do penguins live?

Between the Equator and the South Pole. They have a preference for cold water currents that rich in nutrients.

Can penguins fly?

No. They are a land bird. They march, slide and swim.

Why do penguins huddle?

To stay warm and survive the cold Antarctic winter with temperatures that go as low as -78.

Can you swim with Penguins?

Yes. Not guaranteed, but in the Galapagos Islands when cruising the western side of the archipelago this is a very common encounter our travelers enjoy while snorkeling, they usually spot penguins darting by.