King penguin
Second largest penguin, breeds on subantarctic islands.
The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second-largest penguin species, a bit smaller than the emperor penguin and looking quite similar to it. It stands 70 to 100 cm tall and weighs between 9.3 and 18 kg. Though males and females look alike, they can be told apart by their calls, and males are slightly heavier. The king penguin is about 25% shorter and weighs roughly a third less than the emperor. Its most noticeable feature is a solid bright orange cheek patch, while the emperor’s is yellow and white; the king’s upper chest is also more orange than yellow. Its bill is longer and straighter, its flippers are larger, and its body appears sleeker than the emperor’s. Chicks are covered in heavy dark brown down and look completely different from the mostly grey emperor chicks. After moulting, juveniles resemble adults but are less colourful. The king’s back is a grizzled sooty-grey rather than blackish.
The species breeds on subantarctic islands between 45 and 55°S, including the northern reaches of Antarctica, South Georgia, southern Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Macquarie Island, and other temperate islands. The total population is estimated at 2.23 million pairs and is growing. The largest colonies are on the Crozet Islands (about 455,000 pairs), the Prince Edward Islands (228,000 pairs), the Kerguelen Islands (240,000–280,000 pairs), and South Georgia (over 100,000 pairs). By the early 1920s, whalers had nearly wiped out the king penguin on South Georgia and the Falklands, burning millions of the birds as fuel for boiling whale blubber, and also using their oil for lamps, heating, and cooking, as well as eating the birds and their eggs. Macquarie Island now hosts about 70,000 pairs. The non-breeding range is unknown, but vagrants have been spotted on the Antarctic peninsula, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. One of the largest colonies, on Île aux Cochons in the Crozet Islands, dropped from about half a million breeding pairs in the 1980s to about 60,000 in 2017, possibly due to climate change pushing their food farther from breeding grounds. In 1936, several king penguins were released in northern Norway, with sightings reported into the 1940s, but none have been officially recorded since 1949.
King penguins mainly eat lanternfish, squid, and krill. On foraging trips, they repeatedly dive over 100 metres deep and have been recorded a
- Scientific name
- Aptenodytes patagonicus
- Height
- 70 to 100 cm (28 to 39 in)
- Weight
- 9.3 to 18 kg (21 to 40 lb)
- Population
- Estimated 2.23 million pairs and increasing
- Diet
- Lanternfish, squid, and krill
- Maximum dive depth
- 343 metres (1,125 ft)
- Conservation status
- Fully protected
Lore & Background
The king penguin was first illustrated in 1778 by English illustrator John Frederick Miller, who coined the binomial name Aptenodytes patagonica. The type locality was later restricted to South Georgia by Gregory Mathews in 1911. The International Ornithologists' Union considers the species monotypic, though some authorities accept two subspecies: A. p. patagonicus in the South Atlantic and A. p. halli in the South Indian Ocean and on Macquarie Island.
King penguins stand 70 to 100 cm tall and weigh 9.3 to 18 kg. Males are slightly larger than females; mean body mass from Marion Island was 12.4 kg for males and 11.1 kg for females. The king penguin is approximately 25% shorter and weighs around a third less than the emperor penguin. Adults have a solid bright orange cheek patch and orange upper chest, distinguishing them from the emperor penguin's yellow and white markings.
King penguins mainly eat lanternfish, squid, and krill. They dive to over 100 metres during foraging trips, with a recorded maximum depth of 343 metres and a maximum submerged time of 552 seconds. Predators include giant petrels, skuas, the snowy sheathbill, the leopard seal, and the orca. By the early 1920s, the population in South Georgia and the Falklands was nearly wiped out by whalers who burned penguins as fuel and used their oil.
Reader's Guide
The king penguin is significant as the second largest penguin species and a key indicator of subantarctic ecosystem health. Its foraging behavior, studied through automatic dive-recording devices, has revealed deep dives of up to 343 metres and complex dive patterns, including flat-bottomed U-shaped or W-shaped dives. The species' reliance on lanternfish and squid makes it vulnerable to shifts in prey distribution caused by climate change, as evidenced by the dramatic population decline on Île aux Cochons in the Crozet Islands—from about half a million breeding pairs in the 1980s to about 60,000 in 2017. Historically, king penguins were heavily exploited by whalers for fuel and food, nearly driving local populations to extinction. Today, the species is fully protected and its total population is estimated at 2.23 million pairs and increasing. The king penguin's ability to detect airborne odors from conspecific feathers and feces suggests a role for olfaction in colony recognition. Its presence on subantarctic islands and occasional vagrancy to South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand underscores its wide-ranging marine habitat.
Did You Know?
- The king penguin is approximately 25% shorter and weighs around a third less than the emperor penguin.
- King penguins have been recorded diving to depths greater than 300 metres (1,000 ft).
- By the early 1920s, the king penguin population in South Georgia and the Falklands was nearly wiped out by whalers who burned them as fuel.
- One of the largest known colonies, on Île aux Cochons, declined from about half a million breeding pairs in the 1980s to about 60,000 in 2017.
More in Birds of subantarctic islands 1-24
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