Petite Paddlers
Let us introduce to you the world’s smallest penguin!
Weighing just over one kilogram and standing 25-35cm tall, these flightless seabirds are the only species of penguin to breed on the Australian mainland.
Small penguin, big appetite. The little penguin will travel up to 20km a day in search of food. While they’re at it, they can dive up to 2,000 times in a day to an average depth ranging from 10-30m.
While the little penguin often sleeps in coastal burrows (usually the same one for its whole life), they’re certainly not fussy sleepers – sometimes sleeping while floating on the big blue waterbed that is the ocean.
The species is threatened by coastal development, pollution and run-off, as well as overfishing, vessel strikes, and diseases. The little penguin is considered highly vulnerable to the H5N1 strain of bird flu.
Did You Know?
The little penguin has also been known as the fairy penguin to Aussies, and the blue penguin to Kiwis, but its common name has always been little penguin.
Facts & Figures
| COMMON NAME: | Little penguin |
| FIRST NATIONS NAME(S): | Pibaap (Wudjari, Noongar / Nyungar) |
| SCIENTIFIC NAME: | Eudyptula minor |
| FAMILY: | Spheniscidae |
| BODY SIZE: | 25-35cm tall |
| DIET: | Small fish, squid and krill |
| LOCATION: | Southern coasts of Australia |
| CONSERVATION STATUS: | Least concern (IUCN), however |
| POPULATION TREND | Many colonies face significant decline due to multiple threats |