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Parents take turns caring for their youngsters until the

chicks are about three weeks old.
P H O T O G R A P H B Y D M Y T R O P Y LY P E N K O ,
DREAMSTIME

ANIMALS BIRDS

Adélie Penguin
Adélie penguins breed and raise their young on
the continent of Antarctica. In September and
October—springtime in that part of the world—
thousands of Adélies gather on the rocky Antarctic
shoreline. The huge gatherings are called colonies.

C O M M O N N A M E : Adélie penguins

S C I E N T I F I C N A M E : Pygoscelis
adeliae

T Y P E : Birds

D I E T : Carnivore

G R O U P N A M E : Colony

AV E R A G E L I F E S P A N I N T H E
W I L D : 11 to 20 years

S I Z E : 27.5 inches

W E I G H T : 8.5 to 12 pounds

Adélie penguins build nests by scooping

out areas in the ground. The female usually
lays two eggs in the nest. Adélie penguin
eggs hatch in December.

In the Antarctic winter, the Adélie

penguins live at sea. Both parents care for
the eggs. While one stays behind keeping
the eggs warm and safe from predators,
the other parent heads out to sea to eat.
They feast mainly on krill, tiny shrimplike
animals, but also eat fish and squid.

Parents take turns caring for their

youngsters after they hatch until the chicks
are about three weeks old. At that point,
both parents may leave to forage for food
while the chicks gather in the safety of a
large group of other young penguins.
These groups of young Adélies are called
crèches.

N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C M A P S

By March, when Adélie chicks are about

nine weeks old, their downy baby feathers
have been replaced by waterproof adult
feathers. They plunge into the sea, and
start hunting for food on their own.

Like other penguin species, Adélies are

excellent swimmers. They're powerful and
graceful in the water, with torpedo-shaped
bodies that pierce through the water. Their
modified wings help propel them through
water instead of air. These birds are
swimmers, not fliers.

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