The penguin is an unusual bird that stands upright on very short legs and walks with an amusing, clumsy waddle. Penguins cannot fly but are excellent swimmers.
Penguins live in the southern half of the world. Several kinds live on the ice of the Antarctic. There are penguin colonies in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and as far north as the Galapagos Islands, which lie almost on the equator. Penguins will not cross into the warm ocean waters from the cold Antarctic currents.
All penguins have short, thick feathers. Their feathers on their bellies are white and the feathers on their bodies are black or bluish black. Some penguins have crests of long feathers on the sides of their heads and patches of brightly colored feathers on their necks.
Penguins' "wings" are flippers. These flippers and webbed feet make penguins great swimmers and divers. Their short, dense feathers form a waterproof coat. Thick layers of fat keep penguins warm in the cold water.
The emperor penguin, the largest penguin, is 4 feet (1.2 meters) high and weighs almost 100 pounds (45 kilograms). There are 17 other species (kinds) of penguins that vary in size. The smallest species is only about 1 foot (30 centimeters) high.
Penguins eat fish. They spend much of their lives in water, but lay eggs and raise their young on land. They make their nest in enormous colonies called rookeries. One rookery may have as many as a million penguins. Most species make their nests on bare ground or in the grass. They scrape shallow hollows in the dirt and lay their eggs. A few species lay eggs in tunnels dug in the ground.
The female emperor penguin leaves the ocean at the start of the Antarctic autumn. She lays a single egg on the bare ice, and immediately returns to the water. The male then cares for the egg until it hatches. He rolls the egg onto his feet and covers it with the lower part of his belly, which has several rolls of fat.
Carrying the egg on his feet, the male penguin waddles into a large group with the other males. They huddle together to keep warm. For two months, during the worst part of the winter, they keep the eggs warm. They do not eat during this time. When the chick hatches, the male feeds it a milklike substance produced in his crop (throat). He feeds the chick through his mouth.
Soon after the chick hatches, the females return to the rookeries to take care of them. The males then go to the sea to get food for themselves and the chicks. After three weeks, the males return with food. The chicks are herded together in tight groups. The adults form a circle around them to keep them warm. In six months, the young penguins are able to take care of themselves.
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