#861: Yellow-eyed Penguin

The Yellow-eyed Penguin is native to New Zealand and nearby islands. He follows a piscivorous diet, foraging off the coast and on the ocean floor. The largest mainland populations are on the Otago Peninsula - where he is a tourist attraction - and in the Catlins. He is under threat from habitat degradation and predation, as well as disease.  After breeding season, when the chicks have gone to sea (survival rates are as low as 20%), the adults begin their annual moult. Penguins moult all of their feathers at once, shedding the old for a new, sleek plumage. During this time they cannot enter the water, and are extremely vulnerable to predation or starvation.