Adelie Penguin - description, habitat, interesting facts

Species Adelie penguin got its name in honor of the beloved spouse of explorer Dumont-Durville. He saw the birds when he went to the territory of Antarctica. Before this, the place where he saw these penguins was also named after his wife.

In the behavior of these individuals there are many habits that are very similar to human behavior. These penguins are unique and cannot be confused with any other species. The most common types of these northern birds that cannot fly are imperial, royal and adele.

When looking at them it seems that these creatures are very clumsy. When viewing images, as well as seeing them live, it seems that they are not real birds, but cartoon characters.

When you meet them for the first time, I want to touch these cute birds. Although they live in a very cold and harsh climate, they look fluffy and warm.All penguins belonging to different species are quite similar to each other, but at the same time have enough features to distinguish them from each other.

Description

These birds are similar to their brethren, but are somewhat smaller. Weigh about 6 kg, growth up to 70 cm.

The body in the upper part is black with blue tint, their belly is white. Adeli can be distinguished from other penguins by the presence of a white mark located around the eyes.

They are not afraid of people and trust them. But, if they want to protect the territory, they are able to show fury. The way of life of this particular species became the basis for cartoons created in Japan and the USSR. It was about Adele penguins that such a cartoon was shot as “The Adventures of Lolo the Penguin”. Another example is “Do the legs”.

People who work in their habitat, birds are treated with special warmth. They call them adeles because of their nice looks. But in fact, birds have a difficult character.

Habitat, lifestyle

In the period from April to October, life in the polar latitudes of the southern hemisphere is very gloomy. During this period, representatives of the species live in the sea.From nesting sites, they go far - 700 km. Here they rest, eat food to gain strength, since after that they will have to starve for quite a while.

In October, birds return to the nesting site. The weather at that time is very severe. Sometimes a severe frost (about 40 degrees) is combined with a terrible wind. Birds just have to crawl to reach the goal. They are moved in large groups of several hundreds or thousands of individuals.

They have regular partners, and meet with them near their old nests. Having met, they immediately begin to restore their old nest. They decorate it with stones, because of which they can even fight with other couples. At this time, they stop eating, although they have such an opportunity. The finished nest in height reaches about 70 cm.

The rest of the time the birds are in the ocean near the pack ice. You can meet representatives of this species of penguin on the rocky coasts of Antarctica, as well as on the islands located nearby - South Sandwich, South Scottish.

Nutrition

Their food is monotonous. Favorite delicacy is krill.Sometimes they eat fish and shellfish.

On the day they eat about 2 kg of food. During the hunt can swim at speeds up to 20 km / h.

Breeding

Their nesting period is strictly defined. Birds have a regular partner with whom they return to their nest. Birds take more than a month to reach it. First come males, after a week - females.

When the nest is restored, the female lays 2 eggs, and then goes in search of food. The male is starving and hatching eggs. After 3 weeks, the females replace them. Nestlings appear in the middle of January.

For 2 weeks, the parents cover them with their bodies, then the chicks walk side by side. At the age of one month they unite in a “nursery”, where they spend about a month. And after molting the young individuals begin to live independently.

Interesting Facts

1. The bird population is about 5 million.
2. They have a very thick warm fatty layer located under the skin. Sometimes it even leads to overheating of their body. When observing, you can see how they stand, wings spread apart. In this way, the penguin is trying to cool.
3. This species has a period of fasting. It falls on the beginning of the nesting period.Duration is approximately one and a half months. During this time, the weight of the birds is reduced by 40%.
4. At first, parents monitor the offspring, and then they enter the “penguin nursery”.
5. Since birds have no other material for construction, the nests consist of stones.
6. They live 15-20 years. Listed in the Red Book.

Video: Adelie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)