Seabird order
Sphenisciformes
Penguins
Penguins traded flight in the air for flight underwater. They are the most specialized swimmers of all birds.
How to recognize them
Penguins are upright, flightless birds with flipper-like wings and dark backs over white fronts. The coloring camouflages them from above and below in the water. Head patterns, crests and bill colors separate the species.
Range
Almost all penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, from Antarctica to the coasts of South America, southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The Galápagos penguin lives at, and slightly north of, the equator.
Sizes
The emperor penguin is the largest, standing about 1.1 m tall and weighing around 35 kg. The little penguin of Australia and New Zealand is the smallest, at about 30 cm. Larger species tend to live in colder regions.
Life history
Penguins feed on krill, fish and squid caught underwater. They spend roughly half their lives at sea and half on land, where most breed in colonies.
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