The erect-crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri) is a penguin endemic to the New Zealand region and only breeds on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands. It has black upper parts, white underparts and a yellow eye stripe and crest. It spends the winter at sea and little is known about its biology and breeding habits. Populations are believed to have declined during the last few decades of the twentieth century, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as being “endangered”.

Appearance:

This is a small-to-medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, at 50–70 cm (20–28 in) and weighing 2.5–6 kg (5.5–13.2 lb). The male is slightly larger than the female and as in most crested penguins has a larger bill. It has bluish-black to jet black upper parts and white underparts, and a broad, bright yellow eyebrow-stripe which extends over the eye to form a short, erect crest. With a mean body mass in males of 6.38 kg (14.1 lb) (sample size 22) and females of 5.4 kg (12 lb) (sample size 22), the erect-crested penguin is the largest of the crested penguin species and as the fourth heaviest extant penguin, being nearly as heavy on average as the gentoo penguin.

Its biology is poorly studied and only little information about the species has emerged in the past decades. The only recent study conducted on the Antipodes Islands focused on aspects of the mate choice. Research on the species is hampered by logistics and restrictive permitting by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

It presumably feeds on small fish, krill and squid like other crested penguin species.

Distribution

Erect-crested penguins breed on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands. Previous records of small breeding populations have also been reported from Campbell Island and the Auckland Islands; in the 1940s a breeding pair was documented on the Otago Peninsula on the New Zealand mainland. The species spends extended times at sea during the pre-moult period (February-March) as well as over the winter months (March-August). Individuals have been found as far away as the Falkland Islands and it is also a vagrant to Argentina, Antarctica and Australia.

Erect-crested penguins nest in large colonies on rocky terrain. On the Antipodes Islands, the penguins breed in mono-specific colonies or sometimes sympatrically with Southern Rockhopper penguins. On the Bounty Islands, Erect-crested penguins breed in large mixed colonies with Salvin’s albatross.

Interactions with Humans:

In the past, extensive seal hunting took place on both the Antipodes Islands and the Bounty Islands, which without a doubt inflicted damage on the penguin habitat by introducing animals and destroying vegetation. There are also records of New Zealand merchants trading for Erect-crested skins. Warham in 1972 wrote that the survivors of the “Spirit of the Dawn,” a ship that wrecked at Antipodes in 1893, mainly survived on penguin meat and eggs. For the past hundred years, this species has had very minimal contact with humans, and now, except for a small number of researchers who are allowed, people are strictly prohibited from landing on these islands. Needless to say, not having direct contact with man does not make this penguin immune from man’s harmful actions. They are still affected by overfishing, global warming, and chemical changes taking place in our oceans.

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