Welcome to Module 2
LITTLE PENGUINS
Welcome to the Little Penguins module of Cradle Coast Natural Resource Management’s online learning package. In this module, you will learn about Little Penguins
- Their habitat and ecology
- How and why Little Penguins are under threat
- What you can do to help reduce the threats to Little Penguins
- Where and how you can safely view Little Penguins
This module will take you about 1 hour to complete.
How to move through this online course
As you are guided through this module, you will learn about Little Penguins through reading text and watching short videos. At the end of this module there will be an electronic link to other modules about Coastal Saltmarshes, Giant Freshwater Crayfish and Short-tailed Shearwaters.
What are Little Penguins?
Little Penguins are flightless seabirds and are the smallest species of penguin in the world. The scientific name for the Little Penguin is Eudyptula minor. ‘Eudyptula’ is the Greek word for ‘good little diver’, so its scientific name describes the Little Penguin well. In Australia, Little Penguins were also known as Fairy Penguins because of their small size, and Little Blue Penguins because of their colouring. Little Penguins live for an average of 6 years but can live longer than 20 years.
Little Penguins are highly adapted to life in the sea
They have streamlined bodies and instead of wings, they have powerful flippers that allow them to move through the water efficiently. They swim in a similar manner to a bird flying in the air. Little Penguins have dense feathers all over their bodies, with a distinct blue colour around their heads and backs, and white underbellies. When they are young, their feathers have a stronger blue colour.
How small are they?
Little Penguins grow to a height of around 30 centimeters, which is one quarter of the size of the largest penguin in the world, the Emperor Penguin.
There are 18 species of penguins in the world that are confined to the southern hemisphere.
Adult Little Penguins weigh about one kilogram, with males weighing slightly more than females. All penguins have something in common: they waddle. Their legs are set back on the body as an adaptation for swimming – just like their modified forelimbs. When penguins waddle, they use their body weight to create momentum to move along.
Image credit: JJ Harrison
Take a look at this selection of penguin species, and see how the Little Penguin compares.
How do Little Penguins live?
Little Penguins live on the land and in the sea. They fish out at sea during the day and return to their nests on shore at dusk. With each generation, Little Penguins usually return to their original (natal) colonies on land to breed and raise their young. There are many Little Penguin colonies located along the coasts of Tasmania and its islands, and the number of nesting burrows varies from 10 at smaller colonies to around 1,000 burrows at the largest colonies.
Little Penguins spend a lot of their time (around 80%) out at sea catching fish. The length of time that they are at sea depends on the season, ranging from one day to one month. Generally, Little Penguins spend more time at sea hunting in winter, and only returning to renovate their burrows. Over summer they return to land for longer periods to breed, moult and rest. They return almost daily when they are incubating eggs and feeding chicks.
About an hour or so after dark, Little Penguins return to their burrows in small groups. Before coming to land, the birds gather offshore in groups called ‘rafts’. Where the colony is large, the return of the penguin groups to nest sites can be quick and very noisy.
Nests vary in their type and design. Some are burrows with a tunnel of around 60 to 80 centimetres long leading into a ‘bowl’ shape den and may connect to others through additional tunnels. Some Little Penguins dig burrows under clumps of vegetation or nest among rocks. Some penguins are known to nest under houses, next to railway lines, in stormwater drains and even amongst building materials or machinery.
Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) nesting among grass. Image credit: E-SEA
What do they eat?
Little Penguins eat small fish such as anchovies, pilchards, sardines and squid. They will occasionally take crabs, larvae, octopus or seahorses, and even jelly-fish!
When they hunt, they take short dives in water ranging from 10 to 30 metres deep, usually chasing schools of fish. They can dive 200-1300 times per day. They can swim at average speeds of around 2-4 kilometers per hour but are known to move as fast as 6.4 kilometers per hour. Little Penguins have been recorded diving to 72 metres depth to hunt.
Occasionally Little Penguins hunt fish alongside Short-tailed Shearwaters.
Have a look at this video showing how both species fish together
When do they breed?
Generally, males return to the colony ahead of the females to get the nest ready from July to November. They will either renovate an old burrow or make a new one. When the females arrive, males greet them with noisy courtship displays. Little Penguins don’t mate for life and may choose another partner the following season. After mating, the female lays two eggs about the size of chicken eggs each year, though this can vary between seasons and breeding locations. Sometimes, two clutches of chicks might be raised in one season, with a second set of eggs laid after the first chicks have gone to sea. There is some evidence that increasing water temperature is causing winter breeding to become more common.
Both male and females take shifts of up to a week to incubate the eggs. After about 35 days, the eggs hatch, with around 80% of the eggs successfully hatching. During the first two to three weeks, one adult stays with the chick during the day while the other is at sea, returning at night to feed the chick and swap over with the other parent. This period is known as the ‘guard’ stage. After this period, both parents go to sea during the day and return to the burrow every few nights to feed the chick. This is known as the ‘post-guard’ stage and during this stage, chicks will start to emerge from the burrow at night.
At around 6 weeks, chicks will start to grow waterproof adult feathers, which replace the fluffy down. At around 8 weeks of age, chicks are fully feathered and are close to adult size. They head out to sea to fend for themselves, instinctively knowing how to swim and catch fish.
How vulnerable is a Little Penguin chick?
Luckily, parents keep guard of chicks until they are 3 weeks old. They are very vulnerable to attack from natural predators like water rats and ravens or domestic animals such as cats, dogs and even ferrets!
What is moulting?
All Little Penguins need to replace their old and worn feathers so that they can maintain a plumage that is waterproof. Every year from February to April, adult Little Penguins stay on land while their old feathers fall out and are replaced by new ones. This takes around 2 weeks, and during this time they can’t fish because their feathers are not waterproof and they would drown. Leading up to moulting though, Little Penguins almost double their body mass to get them through this time on land.
What does a Little Penguin song sound like?
Little Penguins have a song that is distinct to each individual and is used to:
- Stave off intruders
- Attract mates
- Sing as a duet to unite a breeding pair and strengthen their bond
The song is described as starting as a bass rumble, then changing to a trumpeting cry and reaching a fever pitch of sound and body movement as they use their flippers, beak and body to express their call. During the breeding season, the sound of the colony is loud and can be heard from a distance throughout the night.
Shorter chirps are used on the water to find other penguins, form rafts before coming ashore and to call chicks when they return to a burrow.
A year in the life of a Little Penguin
Have a look at this image and see how busy Little Penguins are, all year round, tending to nests and burrows, and raising chicks.
Where do Little Penguins occur?
Little Penguins live in colonies in New Zealand and around southern Australia. It is estimated that the total population is half a million breeding adults.
Where do Little Penguins occur in Tasmania?
Definitive population estimates of Little Penguins in Tasmania are not known, but it is thought there may be there may be up to 400,000 breeding pairs in Tasmania. Up to 95% of the Tasmanian Little Penguin population is located on offshore islands. Those that reside on the main island of Tasmania are under severe pressure from humans.
Disclaimer: The map on Tasmania’s Little Penguin population and distribution is not accurate as no recent and complete census has been undertaken.
Red squares indicate designated Penguin viewing areas and green circles indicate Little Penguin colonies.
What are the greatest threats that Little Penguins face?
The greatest threats that Little Penguins face are
Attack and harassment by dogs
Attack by cats
Disruption to normal routine by inquisitive tourists
Seasonal changes to natural food supplies
Human habitation near colonies – vegetation removal and trampling burrows
Storm surges and coastal erosion causing damage to nest sites
Drowning from gillnetting near colonies
Oil spills causing death or enormous difficulty in surviving
Marine debris causing harm by entanglement or being mistaken as food
Why uncontrolled dogs are so destructive to Little Penguins
Dogs can hunt and kill penguins individually or in a pack. Once they get a taste of blood, they can return to the same colony and kill again and again. This occurred in a penguin colony next to an urban residential area at West Ulverstone where dogs killed over one hundred birds. Several more dog attacks have occurred at Low Head and Bicheno recently, resulting in more than 50 deaths of penguins in each. Keep your dog secure in your yard night and day.
See what damage dogs have inflicted on penguins in our region:
What about cats, what damage do they inflict on Little Penguins?
Cats, both domestic and feral, are known to prey upon penguin chicks. Whilst chicks are subject to natural predators (water rats, sea eagles, quolls and Tasmanian Devils) they have evolved alongside each other. Cats, however, like dogs and exotic rats, are introduced predators that can significantly increase predatory pressure. Roaming cats may systematically kill many chicks in a colony during the breeding season.
How does pollution affect Little Penguins?
Oil spills are not only disastrous for penguins, but also for other seabirds. Oil can damage a bird’s plumage, affect the buoyancy and insulation of feathers, and is toxic when it is ingested. Similarly, marine debris can be deadly and can severely injure and kill penguins and other seabirds. Plastic packaging can choke seabirds, fishing lines can entangle them and small plastic pieces can be mistakenly swallowed. All of these threats can harm or kill penguins and other seabirds.
In 1985, a bulk carrier (Iron Baron) grounded on a reef near the mouth of the Tamar River, causing a catastrophic oil spill that killed an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 Little Penguins. This was one of Tasmania’s worst environmental disasters.
Learn more about what happened:
What can I do to help keep Little Penguins safe and healthy?
- Don’t walk your dog in a penguin colony.
- Keep your cat at home or in a safe garden enclosure.
- Don't feed your cat with tinned fish. This is often made of small fish that penguins eat.
- Don’t use gillnets near colonies.
- Do your bit to reduce marine debris - take your rubbish home, join in local beach clean-ups and get involved in ‘Plastic Free July’ and ‘Take 3 for the Sea’.
- Don’t start fires on the beach or burn off vegetation near colonies.
- Stick to the tracks and walk in open areas away from burrows.
- Leave penguins alone.
- Only view penguins at designated viewing areas and abide the rules.
What is ‘take 3 for the sea’?
‘Take 3 for the sea’ is global movement aimed at inspiring you to take 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or anywhere. Click a button to find out more and watch a couple of video clips
What is 'Plastic Free July'
Launched in 2011 by Perth's Western Metropolitan Regional Council, Plastic Free July aims to educate the public on the problems plastic causes. Click a button to find out more:
Remember the 3 R’s?
reduce, reuse and recycle
You will probably remember learning about the ‘3 R’s’ when you were growing up; reduce, reuse and recycle. This philosophy is still important today, and even more so with the ever-increasing negative effects that plastics are having on our marine environment. Click below to remind yourself about the ‘3 R’s’
Want to do your bit to reduce plastic debris before it enters our oceans?
Take a look at this infographic to learn about the impacts of plastic debris and how you can do your bit to reduce plastic debris from entering the ocean
Want to know what’s happening in our region to fight marine debris?
Watch this clip to learn more about the Macquarie harbour Shoreline Clean-up
How to make your dog 'penguin-friendly'
- Make sure that you walk your dog on a lead when you are on the beach and respect the ‘no dogs’ signs. You can’t always be certain that you are not in the vicinity of a penguin colony. When dogs are walked in a penguin colony, they leave their scent which attracts other dogs to the same spot and can also scare penguins away.
- Stick to the tracks to avoid your dog sniffing at burrows or collapsing burrows.
- Find an alternative place to exercise your dog where it won’t threaten wildlife. Be aware of the prohibited areas where dogs are not allowed to be excised in your area and abide by this. It’s likely that these are areas with penguin colonies.
- Check with your local Council to find out where the dog-friendly exercising areas are.
How to make your cat 'penguin-friendly'
Keep your cat indoors, especially at night.
De-sex your cat so that it will not interact with or attract feral cats.
Here are four ways you can better care for the health and welfare of both your pet cat and Tasmania’s native wildlife:
- De-sex your cat
- Identify your cat as a pet with a collar and microchip
- Never dump unwanted cats or kittens (this is against the law)
- Prevent your cat from roaming by keeping it indoors or in a cat enclosure
Want to know more about cat management in Tasmania?
Why is it important that I only view penguins at designated areas?
Uncontrolled penguin viewing at non designated areas can have unintended consequences.
Little Penguins suffer from many land and sea based threats and the human impact of penguin viewing can add extra stress. Human visitors sometimes disrupt the natural behavior of penguins, and if the birds are frightened, their heart rates and energy demands can increase, which can compromise the immune system.
People walking through colonies to view penguins can cause trampling of plants used for nesting, can crush nesting burrows, and can stop penguins from feeding their chicks. Even low levels of disturbance can affect breeding birds. Penguins are particularly vulnerable during breeding or moulting and this can be testing in times of limited energy reserves.
Tourist visitation leads to behaviour and physical changes in penguins. To minimise these impacts and to improve the conservation of Little Penguins in the wild, it is important to only view penguins at designated sites.
It’s important that you only view penguins at designated areas for several reasons:
- Viewing sites have information about how you can safely view penguins with minimum interference.
- Penguin guides can give you a better understanding of penguins.
- Some viewing sites have structures that keep you off the ground and away from the penguins as they return to their burrow.
By staying away from colonies that do not have set viewing areas, you are allowing those penguins to get on with their lives with minimal disturbance.
Where can I safely view Little Penguins?
There are eight designated Penguin viewing areas around Tasmania. Check viewing times and when guides are present, as they can provide you with interesting facts and make your experience special.
Here are the designated Penguin viewing areas:
1. Burnie (Little Penguin Observation Centre)
2. Lillico viewing platform
3. Stanley
4. Strahan – The Bonnet Island Experience
5. Low Head Penguin Tours via George Town
6. Bruny Island Neck Parks and Wildlife Game Reserve
The best viewing months are from September to February.
7. Bicheno
8. Grassy, King Island
Brush up on penguin viewing and what to do before you visit
Before you go to a penguin viewing area, make sure that you know how to behave beforehand, so that you don’t upset the penguins. Penguins are highly sensitive birds. Remember that they are returning home after a long day at sea and don’t want to be greeted by noisy humans that they see as predators.
Here are a few basic things you SHOULD do
- Only view penguins at a designated viewing area
- Best visiting months are October to March
- Check viewing times to make sure a guide will be present
- Wear dark and warm clothes
- Remain on the viewing platform and walkways
- Ask the guide lots of questions so that you can learn more
- Take your rubbish with you and pick up other peoples as this can cause harm to penguins and other marine life
MAKE SURE YOU DON'T AFFECT A PENGUINS NIGHT VISION
- Don’t use a flash on your camera or phone
- Bring a torch that has red cellophane covering the light, put it on a dim setting and and don’t shine the torch at or in front of a penguin
- Only shine the very outside edge of the beam on the penguin and ensure the beam is well away from the animal
Here are things you SHOULD NOT do
- Don’t bring pets
- Don’t shine naked torch or flash lights at penguins, particularly their eyes
- Don’t try to touch or grab penguins – it is illegal, you will scare them and they can bite you!
- Don’t try to feed them
- Don’t try to move off the viewing platform or walkway to get a better view
- Don’t smoke, it can cause a fire
- Don’t leave your rubbish
How should I use my torch so I don’t upset penguins?
When you visit a penguin viewing area make sure:
- Your torch has red cellophane covering the light
- Put your torch on a dim setting
- Point the bright center of light beam well away from the penguin
- Make sure only the soft outside edge of the light beam shines on the penguin’s feet
Penguins aren’t into selfies
Remember that the flash on your phone will scare and upset penguins and chasing them in pursuit of the perfect post on your social media is unethical. Please don’t try to take a selfie with penguins. To learn more about ethical nature photography in Tasmania click the buttons below.
What are my chances of seeing a penguin at the viewing areas?
Take a look at the chart below to get an idea of what the chances are for you to see a penguin according to their life cycle
Want to know more about Little Penguins?
Here are some factsheets about Little Penguins
Or if you want to watch a long video (48 minutes) about Little Penguins, click below.
Want to go ahead and join a group and make a difference?
Have a look at this video of what people are doing to help Little Penguins.
You can join a local penguin group below.
undertaking Penguin Guide Training to become a volunteer penguin guide
And you can make difference by participating in Coastcare projects.
Find a Coastcare group near you.
Why not get involved in Cradle Coast NRM Regional Land Partnerships?
If you live in one of the priority catchments that Cradle Coast NRM will be working in, you may have an opportunity to get involved in one of our Regional Land Partnerships projects. Click below to contact Cradle Coast NRM for more information.
Before you go, let’s recap on the key learnings from this module. In this module, you have learnt about the Little Penguin
- How they live
- When they breed
- What they eat
- Where they occur in Tasmania
- What habitats they live in
- The greatest threats they face
- What you can do to help keep Little Penguin safe and healthy
You will have learnt about the options for getting involved to make a difference:
Get involved in one of our Regional Land Partnerships projects
If you want to know more about Little penguins and how you can get involved, contact Cradle Coast NRM
Are you interested in learning about other important species in the Cradle Coast region?
We have developed other online learning modules
COASTAL SALTMARSHES
GIANT FRESHWATER CRAYFISH
SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATERS
Credits:
Created with images by Radoslav Cajkovic - "Couple of two little peguins, known as blue little peguin, korora or fairy penguin, walking tohether on the ground. Cute small peguins native to Australia, New Zealand and Phillip Island" • anastasiaras - "Swimming little blue penguin, rare endemic bird of New Zealand" • Mika - "Man taking a nap in a kart" • 13082 - "penguin fairy penguin bird" • 11066063 - "penguin zoo bird" • webandi - "penguin bird animal" • manseok - "cuttlefish fish sea creatures" • David Clode - "untitled image" • David Clode - "untitled image" • Jakob Owens - "untitled image" • allvision - "High internet speed" • f11photo - "Penguins in the wildlife park in Perth" • Aarón Blanco Tejedor - "untitled image" • Aliaksandr Marko - "A man flies on a rocket, delivers parcels. Super fast delivery, cool service, online purchase. Copy space, Mixed media" • Ryan Walton - "untitled image" • RDLH - "cat feline feral" • chris doheny - "untitled image" • Imogen - "Little Blue Penguin in Australasia" • hhach - "garbage environment beach" • Roman Bintang - "untitled image" • birgl - "cat angel christmas" • jerzy - "Little blue penguin in grass - Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia" • phototrip.cz - "Little Penguin - Eudyptula minor - in maori korora, group of penguins returns to the coast from the sea to feed their chick" • bennymarty - "A standing Little Australian Penguin, isolated on white background. Front view. Australian penguins are famous in the following islands: Phillip Island, Penguin Island and Bruny Island." • Robert Kneschke - "People congratulate and holding thumbs up" • John Schnobrich - "untitled image" • silviarita - "girl woman read" • Comfreak - "woman library books"