King Penguin
Aptenodytes patagonicus
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 1,526
- Most observed in
- 🇬🇸 South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin, smaller than but somewhat similar in appearance to the emperor penguin. King penguins mainly eat lanternfish, squid, and krill. On foraging trips, king penguins repeatedly dive to over 100 metres (300 ft), and have been recorded at depths greater than 300 metres (1,000 ft). Predators of the king penguin include giant petrels, skuas, the snowy sheathbill, the leopard seal, and the orca. The king penguin breeds on the subantarctic islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica, South Georgia, southern Argentina, and other temperate islands of the region. It also lives on Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean and the Falkland Islands. This bird was exploited commercially in the past for its blubber, oil, meat, and feathers. Today it is fully protected.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “King penguin”.