A medium-sized crested penguin (51-61cm, 2,8 -3,4 kg). Head, throat and
upperparts dark blue or black that turns to a dark brown towards the molt.
Undeparts white. Feet and legs pinkish white above, blackish brown behind the
tarsi, on soles and at the front of webs. Yellow crest starts near the nostril,
passes over the eyes and spreads out horizontally or droops a little distance
behind the eyes. Crest feathers shorter than in Rockhopper penguins, but longer
than in Fiordland penguins. Eyes reddish-brown. Large, orange brown bill with
prominent bare skin at its base.
Endemic of the Snares archipelago, 200 km south of New Zealand. Breeding
colonies located on North East Island (the main island), Broughton Island and
the islets Toru and Rima of the Western Chain.
Marine, they nests under forest canopy, in bushy areas or rocky coasts. On North
East Island, most colonies are located under forest canopy, in bushy areas or
occasionally surrounded by tussock grass or open ground on bare rock. On
Broughton Island, most colonies occur in open ground situations areas. On the
Western Chain, they breed principally under boulders and in crevasses. Nests are
scooped out hollows lined with mud and peat, stones, twigs, and bones.
Colony sizes range from a less than 10 nests to 1300. Adult penguins arrive in
the first three weeks of September. Two eggs are laid towards the end of
September and beginning of October. For the first two weeks both partners remain
at the nest, the female incubating continuously. Towards the end of September,
males go to the sea returning after 10-14 days. The females then leave to forage
for about a week, returning to the hatching of the eggs. Chicks start to form
crèches around mid-November and fledge in mid- to late January. By early
February all chicks have usually left the island.
Cephalopods, crustaceans and fishes. Important pelagic fish species are
Emmelichthys nitidus and Pseudophycis bacchus, and squids Nototodarus sloani,
Morotheutis ingens, and Histiotheuthis atlantica.
“Vulnerable D2” (IUCN Red List 2018), due to their small geographic range. Main
conservation concerns are commercial fisheries, oceanographic changes, and oil
spills.
Mattern, T. 2013. Snares Penguin (Eudyptes robustus). In PENGUINS: NATURAL
HISTORY AND CONSERVATION (García Borboroglu, P.G. and Boersma P.D. eds.)
University of Washington Press, Seattle U.S.A. 328 pp.
