3. Little Blue Penguins (Korora)

Description

The little blue penguin is the smallest penguin of al kinds, growing about 35–40cm tall and weighing about 1kg. These penguins live up to 6-7 years in the wild but can live up to 20 years in captivity. The little blue penguin can be found al around the coast of New Zealand. They have sport steel blue coats and white bellies, which is the perfect camouflage for swimming in the ocean. Little blues race through the water at speeds of around 6km per hour.

Call

Little Blue penguins make a variety of calls to keep in contact at sea (barks), declare territory and advertise for mates (brays) and to let the neighbors know they are home (croon). The only call chicks make is a high pitch peeping as they beg for food.

Distribution

New Zealand

Habitat

Blue penguins breed underground in burrows or natural holes, although they will make use of any man-made cavity. Near human habitation it is not uncommon to find them nesting under buildings, stacks of timber or even railway tracks.

Food

Little blue penguins feed on a variety of surface schooling fish, squid and crustaceans.

Breeding

Between May and June the Little Blues prepare their nests for the breeding season. Between August and November a breeding pair will lay 1 or 2 eggs. By around eight weeks of age the chicks are ready to fend for themselves. Little blues commonly return to the same breeding ground they were hatched and will continue to use the same spot. Each year little blues will spend 2 weeks ashore moulting and growing a new coat. Although numbers of Little Blues have reduced since the introduction of Mustelids and the ever expanding human population, with care from the Department of Conservation their numbers are stable and they are not considered under threat from extinction