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Pygoscelis papua (Gentoo penguin)
Witoorpikkewyn [Afrikaans]; Ezelspinguļn [Dutch]; Manchot
papou [French]; Eselspinguin [German]
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial
vertebrates) > Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria >
Dinosauria
(dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) >
Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
(birds) > Order: Ciconiiformes
> Family: Spheniscidae
Distribution and habitat
Breeds on the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic
islands, heading north in the non-breeding season but rarely venturing more than
100 km from the colony. It is a rare vagrant to Australia, New Zealand and South
Africa, where it has only recorded once, near Bloubergstrand, Cape Town in
1992.
Food
It mainly eats crustaceans and small fish, doing most of
its foraging in stints of 2-4 minutes up to 30 m underwater, rarely descending
further down to 150 m below sea level in a seven minute long dive.
Threats
Near-threatened due to recent population decreases
in the northern part of its distribution range, although some of its colonies
further south are increasing in size.
References
-
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
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