Brief information about penguins. Penguin-like

A penguin is a flightless bird that belongs to the order Penguinidae, family Penguinidae (lat. Spheniscidae).

The origin of the word “penguin” has 3 versions. The first involves a combination of the Welsh words pen (head) and gwyn (white), which originally referred to the now extinct great auk. Due to the similarity of the penguin with this bird, the definition was transferred to it. According to the second option, the name of the penguin was given by the English word pinwing, which translated means “hairpin wing.” The third version is the Latin adjective pinguis, meaning “fat.”

Penguin - description, characteristics, structure.

All penguins can swim and dive excellently, but they cannot fly at all. On land, the bird looks rather clumsy due to the structural features of the body and limbs. The penguin has a streamlined body shape with highly developed muscles of the pectoral keel, which often makes up a quarter of the total mass. The penguin's body is quite plump, slightly compressed laterally and covered with feathers. The not too large head is located on a mobile, flexible and rather short neck. The penguin's beak is strong and very sharp.

As a result of evolution and lifestyle, the penguin's wings have changed into elastic flippers: when swimming underwater, they rotate in the shoulder joint like a screw. The legs are short and thick, have 4 toes, connected by swimming membranes. Unlike other birds, the penguin's legs are significantly moved back, which forces the bird to keep its body strictly vertical while on land.

To maintain balance, the penguin is helped by a short tail, consisting of 16-20 hard feathers: if necessary, the bird simply leans on it, as if on a stand.

The penguin's skeleton does not consist of hollow tubular bones, which is usual for other birds: the structure of the penguin's bones is more reminiscent of the bones of marine mammals. For optimal thermal insulation, the penguin has an impressive reserve of fat with a layer of 2-3 centimeters.

The plumage of penguins is dense and dense: individual small and short feathers cover the body of the bird like a tile, protecting it from getting wet. cold water. The color of the feathers in all species is almost identical - a dark (usually black) back and a white belly.

Once a year, a penguin molts: new feathers grow at different rates, pushing out the old feather, so the bird often has an unkempt, ragged appearance during the molting period. During molting, penguins are only on land, try to hide from gusts of wind and eat absolutely nothing.

The sizes of penguins differ depending on the species: for example, the emperor penguin reaches 117-130 cm in length and weighs from 35 to 40 kg, and the little penguin has a body length of only 30-40 cm, while the penguin weighs 1 kg.

In search of food, penguins are able to spend quite a lot of time under water, plunging into its thickness to 3 meters and covering distances of 25-27 km. The speed of a penguin in water can reach 7-10 km per hour. Some species dive to depths reaching 120-130 meters. During the period when penguins are not preoccupied with mating games and caring for their offspring, they move quite far from the coast, swimming out to sea at a distance of up to 1000 km.

On land, when it is necessary to move quickly, the penguin lies on its belly and, pushing off with its limbs, quickly slides along the ice or snow. With this method of movement, penguins reach speeds of 3 to 6 km/h.

The lifespan of a penguin in nature is 15-25 years or more. In captivity, with ideal bird maintenance, this figure sometimes increases to 30 years.

Enemies of penguins in nature.

Unfortunately, the penguin has enemies in its natural habitat. They happily peck at penguin eggs, and the helpless chicks are a tasty prey for the skua. Fur seals, killer whales, leopard seals and sea lions hunt penguins in the sea. They won’t refuse to diversify their menu with a plump penguin and.

What do penguins eat?

Penguins eat fish, crustaceans, plankton and small cephalopods. The bird happily eats krill, anchovies, Antarctic silverfish, small octopuses and squid. During one hunt, a penguin can make from 190 to 800-900 dives: this depends on the type of penguin, climatic conditions and feed requirements. Oral apparatus The bird works on the principle of a pump: through its beak it sucks in small prey along with water. On average, birds swim about 27 kilometers during feeding and spend about 80 minutes a day at a depth of more than 3 meters.

The geographical distribution of these birds is quite extensive, but they prefer cool conditions. Penguins live in cold zones of the Southern Hemisphere; their concentrations are mainly observed in Antarctica and the Subantarctic region. They also live in southern Australia and South Africa, are found almost along the entire coastline of South America - from the Falkland Islands to the territory of Peru, and near the equator they live in the Galapagos Islands.

Types of penguins, photos and names.

The modern classification of penguins includes 6 genera and 19 species. Below are descriptions of several varieties:

• - this is the largest and heaviest penguin: the weight of the male reaches 40 kg with a body length of 117-130 cm, the females are somewhat smaller - with a height of 113-115 cm they weigh on average 32 kg. The plumage on the back of the birds is black, the belly is white, and in the neck area there are characteristic spots of orange or bright yellow. Emperor penguins live on the coast of Antarctica.

• very similar to the emperor penguin, but differs from it in its more modest size and feather color. The size of the king penguin varies from 90 to 100 cm. The weight of the penguin is 9.3-18 kg. In adult individuals, the back is dark gray, sometimes almost black, the abdomen is white, and there are bright orange spots on the sides of the dark head and in the chest area. The habitats of this bird are the South Sandwich Islands, Tierra del Fuego Islands, Crozet, Kerguelen, South Georgia, Macquarie, Heard, Prince Edward, and the coastal waters of Lusitania Bay.

• - a medium-sized bird. The length of the penguin is 65-75 cm, weight is about 6 kg. The back is black, the belly is white, distinguishing feature– a white ring around the eyes. Adélie penguins live in Antarctica and the adjacent island territories: Orkney and South Shetland Islands.

• – an endangered species. The length of the bird is approximately 55 cm, the average weight is about 3 kg. The eyes are red, the belly is white, the wings and back are gray-black. Yellow eyebrows blend smoothly into tufts of yellow feathers located to the side of the eyes. Black feathers stick out on the penguin's head. This species differs from the southern crested penguin (lat. Eudyptes chrysocome) by shorter feathers and narrower eyebrows. The bulk of the population lives on the islands of Gough, Impregnable and Tristan da Cunha, located in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

• has a coloring typical of all penguins, but differs in one feature in appearance: This penguin has a striking tuft of golden-colored feathers above its eyes. Body length varies between 64-76 cm, maximum weight is a little over 5 kg. Golden-haired penguins live along the southern shores of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic, are slightly less common in the northern part of Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego, and nest on other islands of the Sub-Antarctic.

• - the largest penguin in size after the emperor and king. The length of the bird reaches 70-90 cm, the weight of the penguin is from 7.5 to 9 kg. The black back and white belly are the typical color of birds of this species; the beak and legs are colored orange-red. The penguins' habitat is limited to Antarctica and the islands of the Subantarctic zone (Prince Edward Island, South Sandwich and Falkland Islands, Heard Island, Kerguelen, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands).

• has a body length of 70-80 cm and a weight of about 5-6 kg. The color of the plumage is typical for all penguin species, the peculiarity is 1 or 2 black stripes in the neck area. Magellanic penguins nest on the Patagonian coast, on the Juan Fernandez and Falkland Islands, and small groups live in southern Peru and Rio de Janeiro.

• reaches a height of 60-70 cm and weighs no more than 4.5 kg. The back and head are dark gray, the penguin's belly is white. A black stripe runs down the head. Chinstrap penguins live on the coast of Antarctica and the islands adjacent to the continent. They are also found on icebergs in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.

• spectacled penguin, aka donkey penguin, black-footed penguin or African penguin (lat. Spheniscus demersus) reaches a length of 65-70 centimeters and weighs from 3 to 5 kg. Distinctive feature the bird is a narrow strip of black color, bending in the shape of a horseshoe and running along the belly - from the chest to the paws. The spectacled penguin lives on the coast of Namibia and South Africa, nesting along the coastline of islands with the cold Bengal Current.

• - the smallest penguin in the world: the bird is 30-40 cm tall and weighs about 1 kg. The back of the little penguin is colored blue-black or dark gray, the chest area and top part paws are white or light gray. Penguins live on the coast of South Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and the adjacent islands of Stuart and Chatham.

Look at this beautiful fluffy miracle!!!

Most of us recognize in this charming fluffy the baby of an amazing and unusual bird - a penguin.

What is unusual about this species?

Firstly, penguins are unique in that while they are called birds, they cannot fly, but they are very good swimmers.

Secondly, they are upright walking birds.

These inhabitants of planet Earth were first discovered by travelers led by Vasco da Gama. They noted that these birds they encountered resembled geese, making sounds similar to the cries of donkeys. Somewhat later, this similarity of fat creatures with geese was confirmed by one of the participants in Magellan’s expedition.

The name penguins comes from the Latin root word “pygvis,” which translates to “fat.” It was the excessive plumpness of these flightless birds that gave rise to their “name” - penguins.

The scientific term defining this species of animal appeared thanks to the famous scientist Carl Linnaeus, who noted their resemblance to a small wedge placed in water. In this small but capacious definition, the naturalist was able to emphasize both the habitual way of existence of birds and their shape.

A thick torso, an awkward gait, a slow measured step - this is what the bird called “penguin” looks like to this day.

If the penguin needs to show speed and urgently get somewhere, his plump belly will come to his aid, which will be used as an excellent high-speed means of transportation.

The lack of confidence on land of flightless creatures is compensated by excellent swimming qualities. The ocean is familiar and familiar to penguins; in the water element, birds can descend to a depth of one hundred and thirty meters, staying under water for a long 18 minutes. The speed of movement in water can reach 35–50 kilometers per hour! This is possible due to the structure of their wings in the image and likeness of fish fins. Adults can jump two meters above the water level!

Swimming, as an easy way of transportation for penguins, is not the only reason for their long stay outside land. In the water, these large birds escape from hypothermia. When the air temperature reaches 50–60 °C below zero, the water thermometer may show zero.

The distribution area of ​​this animal species is quite wide - Australia, South America, Asia, the Galapagos Islands - although in the minds of most people on Earth, penguins live only in Antarctica. Total for globe There are 18 species of these charming animals, all of them grouped into 6 genera.

The structure of the beak, mouth and the inside of the oral cavity allows these creatures to easily hold even the most slippery fish, which is the main dish in their diet. In addition to fish, penguins love to eat cuttlefish, crayfish, and some other aquatic inhabitants. Sea water is the only drinking component that penguins consume; the excess salt leaves the body through special supraocular glands.

There may be more than ten thousand pairs of penguin colonies. In the family of these individuals, equality reigns in the matter of incubating eggs and feeding chicks; duties are performed by both parents in turn.

The courtship of males can be heard from afar, sounds similar to the voice of a trumpet are heard in the surrounding area during this period. Age of readiness for mating different types penguins can be different - from two to eight years.

Male penguins are very caring and attentive. Finding a place to hatch eggs, “serving” to bear future chicks in shells, obtaining food, feeding hatched babies - these are some of the responsibilities that males cope with well.

Brief information about penguins

Penguins are flightless seabirds.

Family: Penguins

Class: Birds

Order: Penguin-like

Type: Chordata

Kingdom: Animals

Domain: Eukaryotes

Penguin anatomy

The body of penguins has a streamlined shape. This body shape is very comfortable when swimming in water. The entire body is covered with waterproof feathers, which are arranged very tightly and protect the penguin from wetness and winds. The penguin has two wings, which under water look more like two propellers. The penguin walks on two short and thick legs and its tail also serves as support. The bird's tail is very hard, consisting of 17-20 not very long feathers. Unlike other birds, the penguin stays strictly vertical on land. Penguins' beaks are very sharp and strong. In order for the penguin to be comfortable in the cold areas of the planet, it has a 2-3 centimeter layer of fat under its skin. Penguins' eyes are well adapted for diving, but on land the bird becomes nearsighted.

The size of penguins varies depending on their species. For example, the largest Emperor penguin can reach a height of 120-130 centimeters and weigh up to 40 kg, and the largest small view penguins – The small penguin can reach a height of up to 40 cm and a body weight of up to 1 kg. All penguins have approximately the same coloring - dark back and white belly. Penguins molt once a year. During molting, the penguin becomes “shaggy”. During this period, the penguin is on land and does not eat anything.

Penguin habitat

You can't see penguins everywhere. These birds love the cold very much. Therefore, their habitat is the coldest corners of the Southern Hemisphere. Penguins can be found on the continent of Antarctica, in the south of the continent of Africa, in the south of the continent of Australia and, of course, in the south of the continent of South America.

Penguin lifestyle

Penguins are excellent swimmers. They can dive to depths from 3 to 130 meters. Sometimes it’s simply huge distances to overcome (more than 20 km). Penguins can reach speeds in water of up to 10 km/h. And at a time when they are not concerned about offspring, they can go into the open sea 1000 km from the coast.

If the penguin needs to move on land, then here too he has interesting way. It lies on its belly, pushes off with its paws and slides along the snow or ice. With this method of movement, penguins can reach speeds of up to 7 km/h.

Penguins live in groups. You could even say colonies. On the shore, they unite in flocks, the number of which can reach tens and hundreds of thousands of individuals.

What do penguins eat?

Penguins' favorite food is fish, but the bird also eats octopus, squid, crustaceans, mollusks and plankton with great pleasure.

Penguin breeding

These birds, like Swans and the Mandarin Duck, are monogamous birds. This means that the couple is chosen alone and for life.

Sexual maturity in different penguin species is reached at at different ages, but not before the penguin turns 2 years old, and in the Golden-haired, sexual maturity is generally achieved at the age of five years. The male, trying to attract the attention of the female, begins to make very loud sounds that are similar to the sound of a trumpet.

Penguins choose a nest site on the shore or in rock recesses. The nest is made from pebbles and plants. The female can lay up to 3 eggs at a time. But three is very rare. Most often there is one egg that is white or greenish in color. Both take a role in incubating the eggs. Since the parents need to eat, they take turns to hunt.

The parents incubate the eggs for up to 100 days (here it all depends on the type of penguin). The shortest incubation period is 30 days. The chicks hatch blind and with very thick plumage. Until the chick molts and has feathers like its parents, it does not enter the water. And he is constantly on land. After two weeks, the penguin chick can already see fully. For about three weeks, the female and male do not leave their offspring. And then they leave their children, only occasionally bringing them food. The chicks begin to form groups that people call nurseries. On average, only half of the chicks survive.

Penguins video:

In nature, penguins live for about 25 years, but in captivity this figure can increase to 40 years if the penguin is properly maintained.

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The penguin is the only bird that can swim but cannot fly. In addition, it is the only bird that walks standing. In this topic I will tell you about these amazing creatures. Penguins are wingless waterfowl that live in their natural environment only in the lands of the southern hemisphere. Most penguins spend half their lives in the ocean and the other half on land. Basically, most penguin species are found in Antarctica and some of the other coldest areas of the hemisphere. Some few species can survive in temperate and even tropical latitudes. In general, penguins are created for life in the sea. Some species spend as much as 75% of their lives in water; they come to land only to lay eggs and wait for offspring. The heavy, hard bones act like a heavy diver's belt in the water, allowing penguins to stay underwater. Their wings, shaped like fins, help them "steer" underwater at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour. The streamlined body, paddle-like legs, insulating layer of fat and waterproof feathers all serve to make them efficient and comfortable underwater. They also have the remarkable ability to dive deeply (discussed below). In addition, in order not to lose heat, penguins have hard, very compactly arranged feathers (up to 70 per sq. cm), which provide waterproofing.

Penguins coat their feathers with fat from a gland near the tail to increase impenetrability. Their black and white coloring makes them almost invisible to predators both above and below. Like most birds, penguins have little or no sense of smell (good for them in their crowded colonies). Like other birds, penguins have limited taste buds. It is believed that their vision is better when they are underwater. Scientists suspect penguins may be nearsighted on land. Penguins are considered by scientists to be the most social birds. Colonies can contain thousands of individuals. (As many as 24 million penguins visit Antarctica!) Even at sea, they tend to swim and feed in groups. Most species of penguins build nests, but nests may only consist of rock piles, scraps, or voids in the mud. Emperor penguins do not build nests; they store the egg between their legs under a loose fold of skin called a brood pouch.

The entire body of the penguin is covered with small scale-like feathers, most of which consist of only rods, without fans. The head of some species is decorated with tufts of long, bristly feathers, and in others the tail feathers are also long. The head is small, the beak is as long as the head, straight, strong, hard, laterally compressed; the neck is of medium length, passing into an almost cone-shaped body; the legs are short, almost entirely enclosed in the skin of the body, as a result of which they allow only short steps; the fingers are highly developed, all four are directed forward, but only three of them are connected by a membrane. On the ground, the bird stands vertically, resting on the back surface of the metatarsus, but when walking, the latter stands almost vertically. Penguins walk with great difficulty, waddling; wanting to avoid danger, they lie down on their belly and glide with their wings and legs so quickly that it is difficult to catch up with them, especially on a snow-covered surface. Penguins swim and dive excellently and with amazing ease overcome the stormy waves of the open ocean - their real sphere. Unlike other birds, penguins swim using only their wings, using them alternately; the legs serve solely as a rudder and are extended straight back. Penguins' food consists of fish, crustaceans and soft-bodied animals. Penguins devote a significant part of the year to breeding and at this time tens and hundreds of thousands gather on the most secluded islands of the Antarctic ocean. At this time, even non-brooding birds live on land. They nest as they generally live - in societies. They lay two white or greenish-white eggs, which are watched by both parents in turn, since penguins have a strong habit of stealing other people's eggs. This explains the frequent fact that chicks of different species are found in the same nest. The chicks hatch thickly covered with down and grow quickly, thanks to the extremely plentiful food constantly supplied by the parents. Towards the end of hatching, the plumage of the latter is torn off to the last extent and they begin to molt, often retiring to secluded corners for this. Molting, judging by observations in captivity, proceeds very quickly, ending in about two weeks. At the same time, penguins do not go into the water and, therefore, do not feed, which is obviously easy for them, thanks to the thick layer of subcutaneous fat.
Penguin meat is very tasteless. The northernmost limit of penguin distribution runs in the Atlantic Ocean through the island of Tristan d'Acuña, in the Indian Ocean through the island of Amsterdam, and in the Pacific through the Galapagos Islands; they are also found near the coasts of New Zealand, South Australia, the southern tip of Africa and along the Pacific coast of South America. This family can be divided into three groups, well characterized not only by external, but also anatomical features. The first embraces forms that are large in size, have a long, thin, slightly curved beak and includes the genera Aptenodytes and Pygoscelis. This includes the Patagonian penguin (A. patagonica) and the long-billed penguin (A. longirostris). The second group - the genus Eudyptes - has a shorter beak, but high and is easily recognized by the beautiful yellow superciliary tufts of feathers. This includes the golden-haired penguin (E. chrysocome). In the third group, the beak is very short, strongly compressed from the sides, the upper jaw is bent with a hook, the lower jaw is straight cut; there is no Ukrainian. This includes the Cape penguin (Spheniscus demersus) from South Africa, Spheniscus minor from Australia and the most northern of all species - Spheniscus mendiculus from the Galapagos Islands. Fossil remains of penguins are few in number, but a large form of penguins (Palaeeudyptes antarcticus) is known from the Upper Eocene layers of New Zealand, proving the antiquity of this group of birds.

Types of penguins:

The African penguin, Spheniscus demersus, is also called the Blackfoot penguin. This penguin was found off the coast of southern Africa. African penguins can swim at speeds of approximately 4.3 to 15 miles per hour (7-24 km/h), and they also make sounds reminiscent of donkeys. The number of African (donkey) penguins has decreased so much that it is time to take urgent action. Last year in South Africa there were only 26 thousand pairs of penguins, compared to 121 thousand in 1956, and at the beginning of the last century the population of these birds reached two million individuals. Scientists are calling for urgent measures to be taken - this is the only way to stop further population decline. In addition, experts must establish what reasons caused such a sharp decline in the number of penguins. According to Peter Barham, from the University of Bristol (UK), the main factor here may be a reduction in food resources. In particular, it is likely that this was caused by overfishing of sardines and anchovies, or by the movement of fish to other areas due to global warming. It is also possible that the penguins were simply weakened by pollution environment, which affected their ability to obtain food. Other negative factors include seals preying on penguins, oil spills and a reduction in the number of cool places in the colonies suitable for breeding, caused by climate change.

Falkland Islands penguins

The Magellanic penguin is a summer resident of the islands (with an estimated population of 100,000 pairs) that arrives to breed on the islands in September. These penguins nest in burrows dug to a depth of 4 to 6 feet. It is locally nicknamed "donkey" because of its loud and harsh call, often uttered upon entering a burrow and also used to receive news from birds swimming in the sea some distance from the shore. This species feeds on small crustaceans, small fish and smaller varieties of squid than those caught by humans for sale. However, their food diet may still be a source of potential conflict with commercial fishing and other marine operations. Magellan penguins leave their nests in April, apparently heading off to winter in the waters of the Patagonian shelf or perhaps migrating far north to Brazil. Here they face problems such as poaching and oil pollution. An estimated 20,000 adults and 22,000 teenagers die along the Argentine coast each year. Research in the Falkland Islands recently showed a decline in Magellan penguin numbers of 10% each year, but because the species is highly secretive, its numbers are difficult to estimate. The Falkland Islands are one of the most important breeding grounds for birds in the world and, given the challenges faced by the species in Chile and Argentina, the survival of healthy Falkland Islands populations may be unexpectedly important to the survival of the species in general.

The Galapagos penguin is unique among other penguins in that its habitat is not the Antarctic and subantarctic regions, not even temperate ones, but the Galapagos Islands, located just a few tens of kilometers from the equator. The air temperature in their habitats ranges from +18-+28°C, water temperature - +22-+24°C. About 90% of penguins live on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela. Adults reach a height of about 50 cm and a weight of about 2.5 kg. The main diet is small fish and crustaceans. Galapagos penguins have a black head and back, a white stripe running from the throat up to the head and reaching the eyes, and the penguins are white in front. The mandible and the tip of the mandible are black, the mandible and the skin around the eyes are pinkish-yellow. Birds usually incubate eggs for 38-40 days, alternating male and female. At the age of 60-65 days, the chicks go to sea with the adults. Galapagos penguins nest near the water. The number of individuals is estimated at 1500-2000 adult birds. The GALAPAGOS PENGUIN species is listed in the International Red Book.

The magnificent penguin. The magnificent penguin is also called the yellow-eyed penguin. It belongs to the penguin family. Also known as the Antipodean penguin and Hoiho.

The Emperor Penguin is the most close-up view penguins. If he just stands hunched over on land, his height will be 90 centimeters. If he moves, then his height is as much as 110-120 centimeters. The weight of this penguin reaches 20-45 kilograms. Emperor penguins have the following differences in color: the dorsal side is dark or grayish-blue; on the head this color usually turns black. There are round yellowish-orange spots near the ears, which extend to the underside of the neck, and which gradually become White color. When is the emperor penguin born? Its body is covered with white or grayish-white down. Emperor penguins nest along the shores of Antarctica, south to 78 degrees south latitude. The nesting site of emperor penguins, unlike others, occurs during a very harsh time of year - the Antarctic winter, and already at the end of the Antarctic summer the first emperor penguins are born. Usually at first they do not behave very actively, they slouch. They lead a passive lifestyle, but then the situation changes, and penguin pairs begin to form in April.

Golden-haired penguin(lat. Eudyptes crysolophus) is a genus of crested penguins. Characteristic. Having, as is typical of all penguins, a dark dorsal side with an almost black head and a white belly, they are distinguished by the presence of tufts of golden-yellow feathers above the eyes, forming a crest. The body length of golden-haired penguins is 65-76 cm. Golden-haired penguins are distributed throughout the southern part of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Golden-haired penguins nest on South Georgia, South Shetland, South Orkney and some other subantarctic islands. Their colonies are very numerous - up to 600 thousand nesting individuals. In total, there are at least 2 million adult golden-bellied penguins on the coasts and valleys of Macquarie Island alone. Golden-haired penguins nest on the ground, making very primitive nests. Two eggs are laid, the second four days after the first. Both eggs are fertilized, but the first is always smaller than the second, and the bird usually does not incubate it. The duration of incubation is 35 days, with changes of parents characteristic of penguins. Adult birds raise their chicks for about two to three weeks, after which a “nursery” is formed, followed by molting and going to sea around the end of January. A specific feature of golden-haired penguin colonies is a strong smell, reminiscent of rotten fish, which can be smelled several kilometers from the colony. The species GOLDEN-HAIRED PENGUIN is listed in the International Red Book.

Humboldt Penguin. This type of penguin is found only along the west coast of South America, in the zone of influence of the Peruvian Current (Foc Island). A separate colony of these penguins exists on the Puniuil Islands. In total, there are about 12,000 pairs of individuals of this species left in the world. 8 of them nest in Chile, 4 in Peru. The Humboldt penguin is listed in the Red Book as one of the endangered species. Due to the fact that there is now overfishing, the size of this population is significantly reduced. Also contributing to the population decline is the fact that some birds simply get entangled in fishing nets and die there. The size of an individual Humboldt penguin is approximately 70 centimeters. Its weight is about 4 kilograms. The Humboldt Penguin is very similar to the Magellanic Penguin. The coloration of female Humboldt penguins is similar to that of males, but the females are slightly smaller in size than the males. Penguins of this species lay eggs from March to December. Depending on where the colony is located, the peak may occur either in April-May or in September-October. This is a completely possible situation. When Humboldt penguins raise two broods per year, if environmental conditions support this.

King Penguin(lat. Aptenodytes patagonicus) is a flightless bird from the penguin family (Spheniscidae). The king penguin is similar to the emperor penguin, but is slightly smaller in size and brighter in color. The body length of the king penguin is from 91 to 96 cm. Adult birds have a gray back, large bright orange spots on the sides of the black head and on the chest. The belly is white. Chicks are brown in color. Spreading. The king penguin nests on islands near Tierra del Fuego: South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, Marion, Crozier, Kerguelen (island), Heard, Macquarie.

The penguin can be considered a highly unusual and mysterious animal, so it is not surprising that it attracts the attention of many people. Thus, the penguin can be found in many literary works, including Gorky and Semenov-Spassky. Several animated films were also shot, for example, “The Adventures of Little Penguin Lolo” and “Catch the Wave!”, because penguins received special attention from children. Other interesting facts include the existence of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, which plays in the strongest hockey league on the planet, and the fact that the penguin is one of the official symbols of the Linux company.

Interesting Facts about penguins:
All penguins live in the southern hemisphere, sometimes going far to the north (to the Galapagos Islands, almost at the equator) or to densely populated cities (the North Harbor area in Sydney, Australia). Cody's homeland is Shiverpool in Antarctica, but he is happy to live on the tropical island of Pen Gu.

Penguins can stand upright because their webbed feet are located at the very end of their body. This is also what makes them such fast and strong swimmers, especially when combined with their oar-shaped wings. This is how Cody manages to catch up with Mikey the whale and get a ticket to the Big Z tournament.

King penguins like Jik are very good divers. In search of fish and other food, they constantly dive to a depth of 100 meters, and sometimes even 200 meters. However, Jik is lazy and would rather wait until Lani brings him edible shellfish.

Cody is a rock penguin with a fiery temperament and long yellow feathers near his eyes. They are full of energy and often jump on rocks - that's how they got their name!

Gentoo penguins, to which Lani belongs, swim the fastest of all other penguins, sometimes reaching speeds of 36 km/h. Such speed helps Lani to be an excellent rescuer.

King penguin chicks - like Katie and Chumaz - hatch naked and develop feathers within a few weeks. The chick cannot live without its parents until it grows waterproof feathers, and this can happen up to 13 months after its birth.

Can swim, but cannot fly. The penguin is the only bird that can swim but cannot fly. In addition, it is the only bird that walks standing.

Penguins have feathers that grow evenly. Only a few birds have feathers that grow evenly throughout their body; These are usually flightless species such as penguins.

Which feet should you use to walk on water? Birds that walk in shallow water, such as herons and stilts, tend to long legs. Birds that walk on carpets of floating leaves and bogs are characterized by long fingers and claws to prevent them from falling through. Penguins have short, thick legs located far behind their center of gravity. For this reason, they can only walk with their body upright and in short steps. If it is necessary to move faster, they lie on their bellies and glide, as if on a sleigh, pushing off the snow with flipper-like wings and legs.

The best diver. What do penguins do at a depth of one and a half kilometers? Japanese biologists installed cameras on the backs of animals, which for a long time carried out in the depths of the sea. As the authors of the project explain, the sun's rays penetrate only 150 meters deep into the ocean, so it is still unknown what, for example, emperor penguins or elephant seals, which can dive one and a half kilometers, do at a depth of half a kilometer.

Can swim for three weeks. The Patagonian penguin can swim for two to three weeks and cover a distance of up to 1,500 km.

The fastest swimmer. The Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) can swim at speeds of up to 27 km/h.

Diving from the surface of the water. Penguins, loons Gavia immer, grebes, diving ducks Clangula hyemalis and many other birds dive from the surface of the water. Lacking the inertia of diving divers, they use the movements of their legs and (or) wings to dive. In such species, the legs are usually located at the rear end of the body, like a propeller under the stern of a ship. When diving, they can reduce buoyancy by pressing their feathers tightly and squeezing their air sacs.

The most evil penguin. Rock penguins have a very angry character, are noisy and aggressive.

Penguinidae or penguins (lat. Spheniscidae)- a family of flightless seabirds, the only one in the order Sphenisciformes. There are 18 species in the family. All representatives of this family swim and dive well.

There are three versions of the origin of the name “penguin”:
from the Welsh pen (head) and gwyn (white) denoting the extinct Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) of the auk family. And the sailors named the penguins the same way because of their similarity. Until the discovery of Antarctica, the term pinguinus was used in Europe specifically in relation to the great auk.
from English word pinwing - pin wing. The name, according to this version, again originally referred to the great auk. The version is quite doubtful, since in fact English language the word "penguin" is spelled "penguin".
from the Latin word lat. pinguis - “thick”; This is confirmed by the fact that in many European languages ​​the word "penguin" is associated with the word "fat"

General information
The largest of the modern representatives is the emperor penguin (height - 110-120 cm, weight up to 46 kg), the smallest are representatives of the species Eudyptula minor - the little penguin (height 30-45 cm, weight 1-2.5 kg). Such significant differences are explained by Bergmann's rule, of which penguins are a common example. Bergmann's rule states that animals living in cold regions have big sizes body, since this contributes to a more rational ratio of the volume and surface of the animal’s body and thereby reduces heat loss.

Body structure
Penguins have a streamlined body shape, which is ideal for moving in water. Their musculature and bone structure allow them to operate their wings almost like propellers underwater. Unlike other flightless birds, penguins have a sternum with a clearly defined keel, to which powerful muscles are attached. Swimming underwater differs from flying in the air in that the same energy is expended in raising the wing as in lowering it, since water resistance is greater than air resistance, therefore penguin blades have a larger surface area on which they are attached compared to other birds. muscles responsible for lifting the wing. The humerus and forearm bones are connected at the elbow straight and motionless, which increases the stability of the wing. The pectoral muscles are developed and sometimes account for up to 30% of body weight, which is several times greater than the muscles of the most powerful flying birds. Femurs very short knee-joint motionless, and the legs are noticeably shifted back, which causes an unusually straight gait. Large feet with a swimming membrane are relatively short - when on land, animals often rest, standing on their heels, while the rigid tail feathers serve as additional support for them. The tail of penguins is greatly shortened, since the steering function, which it usually has in other waterfowl, is performed primarily by the legs in penguins. The second obvious difference between penguins and other birds is bone density. All birds have tubular bones, which makes their skeleton lighter and allows them to fly or run quickly, while in penguins they are similar to the bones of mammals (dolphins and seals) and do not contain internal cavities.

Thermoregulation
Within their habitat, penguins are exposed to extreme climatic conditions and have different anatomical features allowing them to adapt to these conditions. Thermal insulation is primarily served by a thick - from 2 to 3 cm - layer of fat, above which there are three layers of waterproof, short, tightly adjacent feathers and evenly distributed throughout the body. The air in the layers of feathers also effectively protects against heat loss when in water. Penguins have a well-developed “heat transfer system” in their fins and legs: the arterial blood entering them transfers heat to the cooler venous blood flowing back to the body, thus minimizing heat loss. This process is called the "reverse flow principle".
The numerous small, undifferentiated, rather hair-like feathers that make up the plumage, in almost all species of penguins, are grayish-blue on the back, turning into black, and white on the belly. This coloration is camouflage for many marine animals. The plumage of the cubs is often gray or brown, but in some species the sides and belly are white. After hatching eggs and raising chicks, penguins begin to change their plumage. During molting, penguins shed a large number of feathers at the same time and for this time are not able to swim in water and remain without food until new feathers grow.

Vision and hearing
Penguins' eyes are perfectly adapted to underwater swimming conditions; The cornea of ​​their eyes is very flat, as a result of which birds are slightly myopic on land. Another means of adaptation is the contractility and extensibility of the pupil, which is especially pronounced in emperor penguins that dive to great depths. Thanks to this feature, penguins' eyes very quickly adapt to changing light conditions in water at a depth of up to 100 m. Analysis of the pigment composition allows us to conclude that penguins see in the blue part of the spectrum better than in the red, and probably even perceive ultra-violet rays. Since light from the red part of the spectrum is absorbed already in upper layers water, this visual feature is likely the result of evolutionary adaptation.
Penguin ears, like those of most birds, do not have a clear external structure. When diving, they are tightly closed with special feathers, so that water does not penetrate inside the ear. In emperor penguins, the edge of the outer ear is also enlarged so that it can be closed, thereby protecting the middle and inner ear from pressure damage that can be caused by diving to great depths.
Underwater, penguins make almost no sounds, but on land they communicate through calls that resemble the sounds of a trumpet and rattle. It has not yet been established whether they use hearing to track prey and detect their natural enemies.

Nutrition
Penguins feed on fish such as silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum), anchovies (Engraulidae) or sardines (Herring family), as well as crustaceans such as euphausiids or krill, or small cephalopods, which they hunt by swallowing directly under water. When different species share the same habitat, their diets tend to differ: Adélie penguins and chinstrap penguins prefer krill of different sizes.
Species that feed on small crustaceans have a greater need for regular feeding than penguins that feed on fish, but they spend much less energy catching prey: while the latter only need one successful attempt out of ten, the former must catch up to sixteen crustaceans in one dive - in counting approximately one crustacean every six seconds - to replenish the energy expenditure of themselves and their young. The number of dives during one hunt varies for each penguin species and depends on the time of year: while chicks are hatching, chinstrap penguins make more than 190 dives, while for emperor penguins during their long journeys this number can reach 860 or more.
During molting, and in some species (Adélie penguins, emperor, chinstrap and crested penguins) also during the period of hatching chicks, animals are forced to completely give up food. This period varies in length for different species - from one month for Adélie and crested penguins to three and a half months for male emperor penguins. Birds lose up to half their body weight because they are forced to take energy for metabolism from fat reserves accumulated in advance. Males and females of subantarctic, magnificent, little and donkey penguins replace each other when hatching chicks, this allows them to fast only during the molting period.
Penguins drink mostly sea ​​water. Excess salt is released through special glands located above the eyes.

Movement

The average speed that penguins develop in water is from five to ten kilometers per hour, but higher rates are possible over short distances. The most in a fast way movement is “dolphin swimming”; in this case, the animal jumps out of the water for a short time, like a dolphin. The reasons for this behavior are unclear: it is likely to reduce current resistance, or is intended to confuse natural enemies.
During the day, while feeding, penguins can swim about 27 km; at a depth of more than 3 meters, birds spend an average of about 80 minutes per day. Some penguins break records in diving: smaller species such as the gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) can stay underwater for one or (rarely) more than two minutes and dive to depths of 20 meters, but emperor penguins can stay underwater for up to 18 minutes and dive to a depth of more than 530 meters. Although the superpowers of emperor penguins remain poorly understood, it is known that when diving, the animal's pulse is reduced to one-fifth of its resting heart rate; Thus, oxygen consumption is reduced, which allows you to increase the duration of stay under water with the same volume of air in the lungs. The mechanism for regulating body pressure and temperature when diving to great depths remains unknown.
When leaving the water, penguins can jump over the height of the coastline up to 1.80 m. Due to their relatively short legs on land, penguins move by waddling from side to side - this method of movement, as biomechanical studies have proven, saves a lot of energy. On land, penguins reach speeds of 3-6 km/h. On ice, penguins can also move quickly - they slide down mountains while lying on their stomachs. Some species travel many kilometers between the sea and the place where their colony has settled.

Habitat
The ancestors of penguins lived in a temperate climate - when Antarctica was not yet a solid piece of ice. The climate on the planet was changing. The continents drifted, Antarctica shifted to South Pole and became covered with eternal ice. The animals left or died out, but the penguins, having adapted to the cold, remained. True, there used to be much more of them - in the course of evolution, at least 40 species that inhabited our planet more than 60 million years ago became extinct. Among the fossil penguins were real giants (such as Icadyptes salasi, recently found in Peru), as tall as a person and weighing up to 120 kg.
Penguins live in the open sea of ​​the Southern Hemisphere: in the coastal waters of Antarctica, New Zealand, southern Australia, South Africa, along the entire coast of South America from the Falkland Islands to Peru, and the Galapagos Islands near the equator. Penguins prefer cool weather, so in tropical latitudes they appear only with cold currents - the Humboldt Current on the west coast of South America or the Benguela Current, which arises at the Cape of Good Hope and washes the west coast of South Africa.
Most species live between 45° and 60° south latitude; the most large cluster individuals are found in Antarctica and on the adjacent islands.
The warmest habitat for penguins is the Galapagos Islands, located near the equator.

Reproduction
Penguins most often nest in large colonies, often numbering tens of thousands of pairs or more. Both parents alternately take part in incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks. The chicks feed on semi-digested fish and crustaceans regurgitated by their parents. The cubs find refuge from the cold in the lower folds of the parent's abdomen.
The age at which penguins begin mating varies by species and gender. Thus, in lesser, magnificent, subantarctic and jackass penguins, the first mating occurs at the age of two years; Female Adélie, chinstrap, king and emperor penguins generally begin mating a year later, while males of these species are ready to mate another year later. Golden-haired penguins are only ready to mate when they are five years old.
The above data are statistical averages: in practice, the older the penguins, the more time they spend in colonies until they reach the age at which they begin to mate. For example, king penguins at the age of one year most often do not visit the colony at all; in the second year of life they appear there for just a few days. In subsequent years, visits to the colony become more frequent, and the length of stay in it gradually increases. Male emperor penguins often begin to hatch eggs only in their eighth year of life.
The time of year when penguins hatch their eggs depends primarily on climatic conditions. Galapagos, little and donkey penguins living to the north can hatch chicks throughout the year, and in some cases little penguins even manage to lay two clutches a year; Almost all species living in regions from the subantarctic to the antarctic begin laying eggs primarily in spring or summer. A notable exception to this rule are emperor penguins—they lay eggs in the fall. Thus, the chicks grow just during the Antarctic winter at temperatures down to - 40 °C and ways of adapting to low temperatures play a decisive role in their survival. King penguin chicks also spend the winter in colonies further north. During this period, parents rarely give them food, so in their first winter the chicks lose significant weight. In cold Antarctic regions, one egg is hatched; in temperate and warm regions, there may be several eggs.
Penguins prefer to stay in a flock not only in water, but also on land. In particular, egg laying, incubation and chick rearing in large colonies occur simultaneously in many species. Such colonies can number up to 5 million animals.
During the brooding period, males of non-sedentary species often come to the colony earlier than females and try to occupy small area, the area of ​​which rarely exceeds one square meter. Thus, their social behavior is focused on nest creation. The only exceptions are emperor penguins, who do not build nests and do not have pronounced social behavior other than relationships with a partner and their offspring.
Males try to attract the attention of females by emitting calls similar to the sound of a trumpet. If this is not the first attempt to find a partner, then often it turns out to be a female with whom the male mated last year. The “divorce rate” of penguins of different species is not the same: the percentage of magnificent penguins who chose another partner the next year is about 14, which is very low; Their loyalty to their partner is also emphasized by the fact that 12% of couples maintained a relationship for more than 7 years. The situation with Adélie penguins is different - more than 50% of animals of this species change their partner the next year, therefore, there are no known cases when relationships lasted more than 6 years. It is known that the successful brood of the previous year plays a big role in choosing a partner.
There is a close relationship between complexity social behavior and the mechanisms of mate selection on the one hand and the size of the colony on the other: In large colonies, mating rituals of cramped Adélie, chinstrap, subantarctic and crested penguins attract attention both visually and acoustically; Magnificent penguins or Little penguins living in dense vegetation, which build nests far from each other, on the contrary, behave much more restrained.

Egg laying and brood reduction
After copulation, in which the male is forced to balance on the partner’s back, eggs are laid. While emperor and king penguins incubate their single egg on their feet, the females of all other penguin species lay two eggs within three to five days in a regular nest, which they build from materials widely found in nature - grass or fine grass. pebbles. The eggs are white or greenish in color.
Not all penguin eggs hatch successfully: especially in young couples, the chicks often do not even hatch; It was found that less than 33% of chicks hatched in two-year-old parents. The success of hatching, however, increases sharply with age and reaches more than 90%; Only in very old penguins does this figure drop again to 75% due to decreased fertility. In most cases, the first egg is slightly larger than the second, so the first chick hatches earlier.
The incubation period for different species ranges from one to two months. As a consequence, parents give preference to the older and larger chick, for example, it regularly receives more food than the one that hatched later, as a result of which the second chick in most cases soon dies. This so-called brood reduction is an evolutionary adaptation to limited food supplies: the early death of the second chick increases the chances of survival of the first, since there is no need to divide limited resources between two chicks. At the same time, the second egg is a kind of “insurance” for the parents in case of the early death of the first chick.
While in most species brood reduction occurs only when food supplies are limited, and crested thick-billed penguins (E. pachyrhynchus) even almost always raise both chicks, for crested penguins brood reduction is the norm. It is noteworthy that the second egg of these penguins is larger than the first (the percentage ratio is 20 to 70), and it is from the second egg that the first chick hatches.

Raising chicks
The rearing of chicks is divided into two phases: In the first two or three - for emperor penguins even six - weeks, the chick or chicks are under the constant supervision of one of the parents, while the other goes in search of food. When the chicks grow up, they are sent to " kindergarten- groups of young animals, and then both parents obtain food at the same time. Depending on the species, such groups, also called nurseries, can consist of a few animals from neighboring nests, as in chinstrap or jackass penguins, or several thousand individuals, as in Adélie, subantarctic, or emperor penguins.
Feeding times vary among species: subantarctic penguins feed their offspring daily, Adelie or chinstrap penguins every two days, emperor penguins often only once every four days or even less often. However, the chicks of the latter receive more food at a time.
The amount of food in most cases corresponds to the stage of development of the chicks, but in relation to body weight it is always plentiful: Even the chicks of small penguin species receive 500 g of food at one time; Emperor penguins give their offspring up to one kilogram of fish at a time. King penguin chicks may be even heavier than their parents after 12 months.
Penguin parents of species that do not reside permanently in colonies leave the colony soon after molting (crested penguins, for example, within a week). In most cases, parental care ends here - cases of feeding chicks at sea are unknown, and besides, it is hardly feasible. Subantarctic penguin chicks, which live near the colony all year round, return to their parents for another two or three weeks and receive extra food; but after that they too are left to their own devices.

average life expectancy
The penguins' chances of surviving the first 12 months are quite low. For example, among Adélie penguins, after the first year, only about half of all chicks remain alive. The decisive factor on which the chances of survival largely depend are the reserves of fat accumulated during living in the colony, which in turn depend on feeding, that is, on the success of the parents in hunting.
The chances of survival of adults are much higher: for small Adélie penguins they range from 70% to 80%, for large emperor penguins even more than 90. The life expectancy of penguins is more than 25 years.

Natural enemies
Since penguins nest primarily in isolated areas, adults on land have virtually no natural enemies; however, human-introduced mammals such as dogs and cats pose a serious threat. For self-defense, penguins use their beaks and fins, which are effective weapons. But chicks left without parental supervision become easy prey for the brown skua (Catharacta antarctica). Some species of seagulls take every opportunity to steal penguin eggs.
Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx), Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus), Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) and New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri), as well as killer whales (Orcinus orca) and sharks (Selachii) hunt penguins at sea, especially the above-mentioned species seals often patrol shallow waters near colonies, where penguins cannot use their advantage of high maneuverability. Scientists estimate that about 5% of all Adelie penguins die this way each year.
This is probably the reason for the birds’ seemingly inexplicable fear of water, to which they are so well adapted. Before entering the water, penguins approach the shore in small groups and seem to hesitate, since apparently no one wants to be the first to enter the sea (the penguin effect); This procedure often lasts up to half an hour. Once one of the penguins plucks up the courage to finally jump into the water, the rest follow.

Threat of extinction
Three species - the crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri), the magnificent penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) and the Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) - were considered critically endangered in the early 21st century, and seven more species are at risk.
In the past, entire colonies of penguins were destroyed: people collected eggs for food and killed adults to melt them. subcutaneous fat and extract oil from it; Today, penguins face other dangers. These include habitat loss, as is the case with the magnificent penguins, whose numbers are under threat due to increased land use and human encroachment on New Zealand's dune system. Feral mammals also pose a major threat, such as in the case of the Galapagos penguins, whose colonies on two islands were destroyed by feral dogs. Climate change also plays a major role: Galapagos penguin populations declined in the 1980s and 1990s due to declining fish numbers, which in turn was caused by the El Niño phenomenon associated with climate change.
Rock penguins (Eudyptes chrysochome), Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) or Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) preying on anchovies and sardines in sub-Antarctic waters affect commercial fisheries that partly specialize in the same species. While fishing organizations are suing for lost income, many penguins are being deprived of their staple food. However, measures are being taken to resolve this conflict while respecting the interests of fishermen.
Donkey and Magellanic penguins, whose colonies are located at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa or in the Strait of Magellan in South America, experience the negative impact of water pollution from oil products caused by shipping routes running there, in particular, tanker routes. Oiled penguins can be captured, cleaned and released again, but the process is time-consuming and very expensive.
On the other hand, intensive hunting of baleen whales (Mysticeti) and the resulting increase in krill has led to a significant increase in the populations of chinstrap and king penguins; The position of most Antarctic species is considered stable due to the isolation of their habitat.

Classification
The Penguin family (Spheniscidae) contains 6 genera, 18 (19) species:
Genus Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes)
Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)
King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
Genus Crested penguins (Eudyptes)
Crested penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome)
Thick-billed penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus)
Great penguin (Eudyptes robustus)
Schlegel's penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli)
Great crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri)
Golden-haired penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus)
Genus Little penguins (Eudyptula)
Little penguin (Eudyptula minor)
White-winged penguin (Eudyptula albosignata)
Genus Magnificent penguins (Megadyptes)
Magnificent penguin (Megadyptes antipodes)
Genus Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis)
Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)
Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)
Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua)
Genus Spectacled penguins (Spheniscus)
Spectacled penguin (Spheniscus demersus)
Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus)
Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti)
Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus)

Penguins and man
The first meeting between penguins and humans apparently took place in Australia: during archaeological excavations at sites of ancient people, bones were found indicating that penguins were part of the diet of Australian aborigines in prehistoric times.
In Europe, penguins became known only in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. thanks to the travels of the Portuguese navigators Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan. The first known mention of these birds is contained in the diary of Vasco da Gama in an entry dated November 25, 1497, when the navigator was in Mossel Bay on the coast of South Africa. There he saw the penguins known today as the Donkey (Spheniscus demersus) and Magellanic (Spheniscus magellanicus) penguins. The donkey penguin is the first species to receive a scientific description, from which the Latin name of the family and order is derived - it was used by the Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in his work “Systema Naturae” in 1758. Almost all other species were discovered only at the end 18th century and in the 19th century, when the territories of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans were explored.
Penguins are very curious birds and are almost fearless on land. Unlike domesticated animals, which have ceased to be afraid of humans only due to frequent contact with them, most penguins are not naturally afraid of people. According to many who visited Antarctica, the birds mistook them for penguins, albeit a little strange, although there is no way to tell scientific confirmation whether this is really so.

Penguins in zoos
IN Central Europe and Russia, penguins can only be found in zoos, some of which organize the so-called. “penguin marches” - birds are released from their enclosures, and under the supervision of a keeper, they take a short walk around the enclosure. Penguin marches are organized by zoos in Munster, Munich, Edinburgh and others.
Penguins kept in captivity often suffer from fungal infections of the respiratory tract, so to protect against diseases, it is recommended to keep birds behind glass walls, especially in warm weather.