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Yellow-eyed Penguin Pictures - Photos

210 images Created 24 Aug 2009

The endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) is a rather unique species of penguin, native to New Zealand, and with a population of only about 4000. It is considered one of the world's rarest penguin species. It may be the most ancient of all living penguins.

While penguins are commonly seen in large colonies, the yellow-eyed penguin is a rather isolative creature. This piscivorous bird spends the majority of the day fishing in the ocean, then waddles alone onto shore shortly before sunset. Once ashore, it heads towards its nest tucked away in the forest or scrub, on slopes facing the sea.

"Hoiho" is the Maori name for this penguin, which translates into 'noise shouter'. It is common to hear this penguin throw back its head and cry out.

A close look at a picture of a yellow-eyed penguin shows a striking yellow eye band sweeping back from each yellow eye.

Common locations for viewing this endangered species are at Otago Peninsula, Stewart Island, and the Catlins, in the South Island of New Zealand.

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  • At the end of a long day at sea, an endangered yellow-eyed penguin returns to shore at Curio Bay, New Zealand.  This unique and rocky beach is an ancient petrified forest that dates back to the Jurassic era.  Before continuing inland to its nest, the solitary penguin lingers under the majestic Aurora Australis and Milky Way.  September 1st, 2013.
    Penguin under the Aurora and Milky W...jpg
  • After a long day at sea, a pair of adult yellow-eyed penguins bond while preening each other's feathers.
    Yellow-eyed Penguins Preening 10_63A...jpg
  • The awe-inspiring Milky Way bears semblance to a celestial flipper, reaching out to a solitary penguin standing on a rocky outcrop in the Curio Bay Fossil Forest.  With a declining population of less than 5000, the endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin is one of the world’s rarest penguins, and found only in New Zealand.<br />
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Protecting our night sky from light pollution is not simply for the sake of humans, but also for our wildlife.  Although research of penguins’ orientation at night is still in its infancy, scientists believe that birds rely not only magnetism but also the stars and celestial rotation.
    Yellow-eyed Penguin under the Milky ...jpg
  • Perched at the edge of a coastal cliff, a pair of adult yellow-eyed penguins rest while the ocean ebbs and flows.
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 240_H7C5736.jpg
  • The rush of the ocean collides against the base of the cliff, as a family of endangered yellow-eyed penguins reunite.
    Clifftop Yellow-eyed Penguins 01_H7C...jpg
  • An adult yellow-eyed penguin disciplines a clingy adolescent penguin, South Island, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 200_63A5564.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 78_6649.jpg
  • "The fish was THIIIIISSSSS big!"  At the end of a long day at sea, an endangered yellow-eyed penguin follows its daily routine of air-drying its feathers with outstretched flippers.
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 210_63A4816.jpg
  • A yellow-eyed penguin eager to return to its coastal nest leads an ever growing trail of footprints in the wet sand.
    Yellow-eyed Penguin Footprints 06_63...jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 54_5668.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 97_5726.jpg
  • A streaky comb-over and yellow goggles...a timeless portrait of an endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin, hiding amongst the tall grass, Moeraki, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin Portrait 135_979...jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 162_H7C4248.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed penguin, adult and nest at a nest in the flax, Catlins, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 116_2024.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 106_6491.jpg
  • A pair of endangered yellow-eyed penguins take turns preening one another, high atop a cliff along the coast of New Zealand.
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 230_63A5355.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 148_H7C4106.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Catlins, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 35_9533.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, endangered, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 142_9615.jpg
  • Most of its day is spent out at sea hunting for fish, except for when the endangered yellow-eyed penguin returns to shore for a quick preening and itch-and-scratch session, before finally heading into the forest to its nest.  Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 44_5327.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Stewart Island, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 81_7090.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 30_9407.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, endangered, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 141_9596.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 155_H7C3847.jpg
  • Penguins can fly!  A cliff-jumping Yellow-eyed penguin, Stewart Island, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 124_2136.jpg
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