Pinguins info - penguin - information about penguins characteristics and differences

Aptenodytes = large penguins

Emperor penguin :

blue-grey back, black-blue head and white front
pale yellow tear-drop shaped ear patches are open
pale yellow throat
silvergrey chick with black head and large white circle around the eye.
about 115-120 cm tall

King penguin :

silver grey back and black brown head, white belly
a closed, orange, tear-drop shaped ear patch on the cheeks
a second closed, orange, tear-drop shaped ear patch on the throat
complete brown chick
about 90 cm tall

Pygoscelis = brush-tailed penguins

Gentoo penguin:

easely recognised by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of their heads
largest pygoscelis species
orange bill
long, stiff feathers from tail stand out when they walk
chick: grey with white belly
about 75 to 80 cm tall

Adélie penguin :

remarkable through black head and white ring around the eye
stereotype for a man in smoking
bill is short, black with red
chick is brownish
about 70 cm tall

Chinstrap penguin :

easily distinguished by the thin black stripe across the bottom of the throat
white on the front and throat and a black back
very noisy and aggressive
about 70 to 75 cm tall
2 grey chicks

Spheniscus = banded penguins

These four species all have a black band that runs like an inverted horseshoe over their fronts. And they have a pattern of black spots on their belly, which is unique for each bird, similar to our fingerprints.

	African (left) and magellanic (right) have both a broad white band from above the eyes, over the cheeks to the throat. On the African penguin, this is connected with the second broad band that runs in an inverted horseshoe shape around their fronts, but on the magellannic they are two separated bands. They both have a pink spot above the eyes Furthermore the Magellannic has longer flippers (like the Humboldt)
The African (above) and humboldt (under) differ from each other through : the width of the white band on the head pink spot around their bill Humboldt has longer flippers and is heavier Similarity : two white bands connected like one		Magellanic (above) and Galapagos (under) differ from each other through : the width of the white band on the head pink spot around their bill the Magellanic is taller (about 60 cm) while the Galapagos is 40 à 50 cm Similarity : two, through a black band, separated white bands
	Humboldt (left) and galapagos penguin (right) have both a small white band from above the eyes, over the cheeks to the throat. On the Humboldt penguin, these is connected with the second broad white band that runs in an inverted horseshoe shape around their front, but on the Galapagos it is separated by a small faint black band. Both have a broad pink spot under their bill

Eudyptes = crested penguins

	The Snares crested penguin (left) and the fiordland (right) differ from each other through the white stripes on the cheek of the Fiordland. Furthermore the Snares penguin has a white-pink strip of bare skin around the bill. On both of them the crest starts at the base of the upper plate of the bill.
The Snares crested (above) and the erect-crested (under) have both a white-pink strip of bare skin on the bottom edge of the bill, but the Snares crested has slightly darker feathers. The erect-crested penguin is the only one who can stick his crest straight up in the air.		Those upper four all have a crest which starts on both sides of the bill and goes backwards over the eyes. In case of the erect-crested the crest starts at the gape of the bill but in both Fiordland and Snares penguins the crest starts a bit higher at the base of the top plate of the bill.
	The crest of the rockhopper (right) is only a small stripe above the eyes and then blows out in a wide long yellow crest. On the head he has a little black tuft and he has bright red eyes. All other crested penguins have darker eyes. In case of the erect-crested the crest starts at the gape of the bill.
The next two penguins below differ from the above because their yellow-orange crest starts on the top of the bill between the eyes, and then split up and runs over the eyes backwards.
	The royal penguin (left) has a white throat, while the macaroni (right) has a black one. Furthermore the royal is a bit taller than the macaroni penguin. Some biologists consider the royal as a sub-species of the macaroni penguin.

Eudyptula = small penguins

Little blue penguin :

blue grey back and white front
about 30 cm tall

White-flippered can be identified by a white stripe around the edges of the flippers

Megadyptes = geeloogpinguïn

Yellow-eyed penguin :

Yellow-eyed penguins are thought to be closest to the original penguins in appearance
They have a broad yellow band running around the eyes and extending like a bonnet over the top of the head.
They have yellow eyes, therefore their name.
Chicks are brown.
Juvenile chicks look a lot like the adults, but without the yellow band over the top of the head.