Bird Information Report

What is the rarest penguin in the world? Which penguin is the smallest in the world? The yellow eyed penguin and blue penguin answer both of these questions. These two bird species are native to New Zealand. The blue penguin is the smallest penguin in the world and the yellow eyed penguin is the rarest penguin in the world.

Both penguins live by the coast. They build their nests in vegetation and hollows in the ground. The blue penguin is found in various places around New Zealand, but especially in the lower South Island and upper North Island. Whereas the yellow eyed penguin is found in Banks Peninsula (Christchurch), Otago and multiple Southland coasts. 

The two penguins have very similar diets. They both eat small fish and squid. But the yellow eyed penguin can dive to depths of over 160 metres which is about twice the depth then that of a typical blue penguin. This means that the yellow eyed penguin is able to catch fish that live on the seafloor.

Both penguins have similar appearances. Small sharp beaks and powerful strong flippers. Even though they are similar in some ways in others they are different in others. Yellow eyed penguins live up to their name and have yellow eyes. The blue penguin is, you guessed it blue. Even though most penguins have blue coats but little blue penguin has a more vibrant blue coat therefore earning its name the blue penguin.

Both the blue penguin and yellow eyed penguin have Maori names. The yellow eyed penguin Maori name is hoihoi which means ‘noise shouter’. Kororā is the name of the blue penguin in Maori. Blue penguins are also known as fairy penguins. Since the yellow eyed penguin is the rarest penguin in the world they only have a population of 6000 - 7000 yellow eyed penguins in the world. However the blue penguin population is around 600,000 birds so a lot but that doesn't mean they don’t have some predators and other worries.

One worry of the blue penguin is the increasing amount of plastic in our seas. If they eat the plastic it can kill them. Another concern of blue penguins is oil spills. Oil spills are when boats carrying oil sink or their containers split and spill into the sea. A patch of oil the size of your thumbnail can be deadly to a penguin. If a penguin has oil in their feathers and they start preening themselves they will swallow the oil and die. Preening is when birds clean and smooth their feathers.

Penguins has seven main predators. Some of them are in the sea while others are on land. While they are swimming they are prey to fur seals, whales, and sharks. On land they are prey to rats, cats, stoats and ferrets. These predators contribute to the troubles some penguins face. All of these predators are introduced to New Zealand therefore the penguins weren’t ready or evolved for the predators therefore their numbers decreased dramatically.

I hope you learnt about the blue penguin and yellow eyed penguin. How they are different in many ways but similar in others. Both these penguins are beautiful creatures but we need to protect them from threats like predators and poison, so they don’t become extinct.