King penguin

An elegant, majestic penguin

The king penguin is the second largest penguin in the world, surpassed only by the emperor penguin, which it resembles. It has an upright, distinguished bearing, with a silvery-grey back, white belly and, above all, two striking patches of bright orange on the sides of the neck and at the base of the bill, which make it unmistakable. Its streamlined body and wings transformed into stiff flippers make it an extraordinary swimmer, perfectly adapted to life at sea.

Habitat and distribution

It lives in the cold waters of the Southern Ocean and breeds on the sub-Antarctic islands, forming colonies that can number tens of thousands of individuals. It spends much of its life at sea, returning to land on the coasts and beaches of these remote islands to breed and rear its young. It is an animal deeply tied to the southern marine ecosystems.

Behaviour and reproduction

The king penguin is a highly skilled swimmer and hunter: it dives to considerable depths to catch small fish and squid. Its reproduction is unusual and remarkably long: it does not build a nest, but incubates a single egg by holding it on its feet, covered by a fold of belly skin. Both parents take turns incubating and rearing the chick, which grows slowly and is covered with thick brown down, so different from the parents that it was once mistaken for another species.

Curiosities

The rearing of the chick is so long that it extends over much of the year, rare among birds. In the crowded colonies, parents manage to find their own chick among thousands of others thanks to their vocal call, unique and recognisable.

Conservation

The king penguin is classified as a species of least concern, with overall numerous populations. However, like all polar animals, it depends on the health of the southern oceans and can be affected by climate change, which alters the availability of food. Protecting the sub-Antarctic seas and breeding islands remains important for its future.