Fairy Penguin

FAIRY PENGUIN By Julian and Charles

	Introduction The Fairy penguin lives in a burrow. These penguins don't live in the snow and ice like most penguins do. Fairy Penguins live for six years in the wild.
Location Little Blue Penguins are found on the southern coast of Australia and New Zealand.
	Communication. Once a year the penguins sing a song to attract a mate. The male penguin calls sounds like a low rumbling sound to a trumpet like cry.
Life cycle The adults usually breed between July and March when the female lays two eggs in a burrow. The male and female take turns to sit on the eggs. Then the eggs hatch after about 35 days. The chicks have to stay in the nest for five weeks. They are fed by one parent every night. After about seven weeks, the young penguins are ready to start life at sea by themselves. After two to three years the chicks are young adults and are ready to breed.
	Breeding 2 eggs are usually laid with both parents taking shifts of 1 to 3 days to mind them. The chicks are guarded by one parent while the other is out collecting food for up to 30 days. The chicks leave the nest when they are about 50 to 60 days old.
Living Habits Fairy penguins come ashore after dark when most predators are not around. Then they move inland in small groups to their nesting groups. Most penguins go back to sea one or two hours before sunrise.
	What do they look like They have little heads and big bodies. They have two little holes for their ears, one nose and a mouth. They have webbed feet and they have dark blue feathers on their back and white feathers on their front. The shape of their body helps them to swim and dive easily.
Predators At sea the penguin's predators are sharks, seals, killer whales. On land foxes, feral cats and dogs, sea eagles and large gulls are the penguin's predators.
	Fairy Penguins and People When oil spills and garbage goes into the river, it gets washed into the sea and kills penguins and other animals. They're choking on bits of plastic and getting strangled by bits of bottle holders.
Fairy Penguin Profile Height: 16 inches tall, which is 41 cm. Weight: 2.2 pounds which is 1 kg. Food: fish, squid, krill and small crustaceans. Facts: The fairy penguin is the smallest kind of penguin, the scientific name is Eudyptula Minor. The common name is the Fairy penguin or Little Blue penguin. The name blue refers to the bluish coloration to the feathers on the penguin. Habitat: They dig burrows as nests.	Location: Little Blue Penguins are found along the coast of Australia and New Zealand. Breeding: Unlike other penguins blue fairy penguins can breed throughout the year.