Snares Island Crested Penguins

Snares Island Crested Penguins (Eudyptes robustus)

Snares Island Crested penguins sometimes just called Snares Penguins are extremely rare, very much endangered and breed only on the snares Island Group of islands, the most northerly of the New Zealand subantarctic islands. Snares Island got its name because it “snared” ships going from Australia to Cape Horn. Snares Island is a nature reserve which is closed to visitors and no landings are allowed. However it may be possible to see the penguins from zodiac rubber boats. In our case it was not possible to launch the zodiac because it was too dangerous because there were two different directions of swells. It was also too foggy and misty.

The snares penguin has black head, throat and back and is white underneath. Its bright yellow crests start at the end of the beak, go over the eyes and extend to the back of the head. Its eyes are red. It is about 50-60 cm (20inches) tall and weighs about 3-4 kg (about 7lb). Estimates of numbers are 25,000 to 30,000 pairs.

The snares penguins are very similar to two other species of crested penguins: the Fiordland crested penguins and the erect crested penguins. The snares penguin has an area of white bare skin at the base of the beak which helps distinguish it from the Fiordland penguin. The Fiordland penguin also has lines of white feathers on its cheeks which the Snares doesn’t have though a few individuals may have one or two. It is distinguished from the erect crested penguin because it has droopier not so erect crests. It has a thicker bill than the other two penguins. Fledging chick have pale chins and shorter crests. Like other penguins male and female are similar, the male being a little larger and with a thicker beak.

They breed in close colonies with around 1500 pairs. The nest sites are in forest or shaded vegetation, where they scratch out shallow bowls in the ground which they line with twigs, leaves, branches and grasses. The nest sites become bare and spent after a while then the penguins gradually move to nearby areas, after which the old areas quickly recover
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The males return to the nest sites in August followed soon after by the female, who lays two dimorphic eggs in late September or early October, the smaller one being laid first and this one often fails to hatch. the second larger egg is laid about 5 days later. Like most crested penguins usually only one chick is raised. Both parents share incubation duties which last for 31 to 73 days. When the chicks hatch the male looks after them for 3 weeks. At 3-4 weeks old they move into crèches with other chicks. Both parents feed the chick each day until at about 77 days old it starts to moult and acquire its adult waterproof plumage. After this it can go to sea to fend for itself. After breeding and moulting the penguins go to sea for about 4 months during the winter.

Snares Island penguins feed on krill, small fish and squid. They can swim at about 15mph.

Predators are Hookers sea lions, leopard seals, fur seals in the sea. The sea lions do not normally kill the penguins on land. On land great skuas and giant petrels take eggs and chicks. Fortunately as the Snares Islands have been declared a nature reserve, not open to the public, the usual introduced species are not a threat.