Where Do Rockhopper Penguins Live?
Till now we talk about lots of different breeds of penguins. Now it’s time to talk about the rockhopper penguins and where do rockhopper penguins live?
A rockhopper penguin is a group of penguins that share the similar enjoyment of jumping on the rocks instead of sliding around on the bellies which a normal penguin do. Mainly 3 diverse species of rockhopper penguin comprises of the eastern rockhopper penguin, western rockhopper penguin, as well as the northern rockhopper penguin.
Now the main question arises that where do rockhopper penguins live? Do they live with the other same species of penguins or somewhere else?
Well! If you want to know the answers to all your queries, you have to read the below information in the article for sure. Here, we will share with you the places where the rockhopper penguins found and how they reproduce there.
Where Do Rockhopper Penguins Live?
Before telling you about the places where the rockhopper penguins live, we want to give you some brief intro about the features and traits of these birds that make them look different from other penguin species.
The rockhopper penguin is small-sized penguin which is same in looks to the marginally bigger royal penguin as well as the macaroni penguin. These penguins possess black-grey color parts in the upper body and a straight bright yellow eyebrow with elongated yellowish trails sticking out to the slanting after a red eye. The penguin’s beaks are generally red or orange.
We hope that now you got an idea that how this penguin looks!
The habitat of the rockhopper penguin is generally massive green grasslands and rocky regions. The colonies of the Southern Rockhopper penguins found in the southern areas of the Falkland Islands, Chile, and Southern Argentina whereas the northern categories of the rockhopper penguin live only in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, Gough Island, and Amsterdam Island.
The main colonies of the eastern rockhopper penguin are on numerous islands comprising Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Island, Marion Island, Macquarie Island, Heard Island, Auckland Islands, Campbell Islands, and Antipodes Islands.
How Does the Rockhopper Penguin Live in These Cold Places?
These penguins prepare their nests by rasping a hole inside the ground and covering it with grasses in the dry form. They usually lay two eggs and mostly only single chick survived. The penguin’s first egg is tiny and gets typically consumed by predators. The subsequent egg is bigger, and the chick which hatches from it has a better possibility of being alive.
The female and male Rockhopper Penguin protects the eggs and makes them warm for around 33 to 34 days. Sequentially they take care of their eggs for at least ten days at one time. As soon as the chick comes out from the egg, the male penguins take full responsibilities of the chick whereas the female brings the food to the home.
The large groups of the rockhopper penguin chicks are known as ‘crèches.’ The chicks remain in the group for heat and safety. The chicks leave the nest for the sea after they get 66 to 74 days old. The average lifespan of the Rockhopper Penguins is ten years.
Conclusion:
After reading the above info, we hope that now you know that where do rockhopper penguins live.
You can find numerous species of the Rockhopper penguins on the earth. However, their population endangered. The Colonies of these penguins on the Falkland Islands were the biggest one sometime back, but pollution, commercial overfishing, and other causes have reduced their numbers affectedly. Around 30 % decline has observed in their population in the last few years. We think all of us should come forward and save these beautiful species soon or otherwise in very less time these birds will also become extinct.
If you think we have missed out something in the above article then, please let us know. We will include that info as well. You can also share your thoughts on this article in the below comment box. We will feel happy to hear from you.
References
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/birds/penguins/rockhopper_penguins.html
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aqc.2331
https://www.britannica.com/animal/rockhopper-penguin
Image source:
1) Rockhopper Penguins by NPschorr / Pixabay License
