Creature Feature #440: Macaroni Penguin

The Macaroni Penguin makes his home in the frigid south: from the Subantarctic (including southern South America to the Antarctic Peninsula. He greedily devours crustaceans, particularly krill, cephalopods and small fish. He is the most widespread and populous of the penguin species, but is suffering from substantial decline. During summer, vast colonies form as the birds gather to nest. There is much beak-jousting and other aggression as hierarchies and territories are established. After breeding, the birds disperse into the oceans for 6 months.

Although populations are currently rather large (about 18 million individuals), the sharp decline has this species classified as "Vulnerable".