The macaroni penguin is not named after a type of pasta, but instead from the Victorian term for a 18th century dandy gentleman. This was because of the distinctive yellow crest. It is one of the most widely distributed of the penguins, ranging from most of the Antarctic, but reaching the southern portions of Africa, South America, New Zealand and Australia.
Royal penguins are similar to macaronis, but live on remote Macquarie Island, south of New Zealand. The males are about 70cm tall, fractionally bigger than their mates.
Rockhopper penguins are part of the 'crested' variety, but their crest is more like eyebrows, that would make Groucho Marx get envious. Snares penguins are named after the small island group where they are found- the Snares Islands, to the south of New Zealand. The Fiordland has similar crests, and is found in the Fiordland areas on the southern end of New Zealand's South Island.
The African penguin is one of the most threatened of the species, and is classes as 'Critically Endangered' on the IUCN Red List.
The Humboldt lives along the South American west coast, from the south of Chile, almost to the equator. It get its name from the large cold-water current that flows northwards along the continent. The Galapagos penguin lives in the Galapagos Islands, right on the equator. The Humboldt Current supplies cooler water, allowing the colony to survive on tropical islands.
The Little penguin, also known as the Fairy penguin, is the smallest (and cutest) of all the penguins. It is found in New Zealand and much of the southern coast of Australia. Philip Island, south of Melbourne, Victoria, is the largest colony in the world, and a major tourist attraction. Every evening, hundreds of them make their way up the beach, heading for their homes in the dunes.
The Gentoo was first seen in the Falkland Islands in the 18th century, and inhabits several South Atlantic islands. They are a large bird, with only the Emperor and the King being bigger.
The Emperor lives and breeds exclusively on the Antarctic continent. They are very much at home in the frigid waters, and are able to dive over half a kilometre deep, in search of fish and krill. They can range huge distances, sometimes travelling 500 kilometres from land!
The Chinstrap gets its name from the thin black line under its head, which looks like they are wearing a helmet. They have a widespread distribution, covering much of the southern Pacific and Southern oceans, and the continent of Antarctica.
The wrong answers-
Hornbills are large, tropical birds found in southern Asia and Africa. The cliff swallow is native to Canada and USA as is the bald eagle.
The Arctic tern has the longest migration of any creature, flying from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and return, every year, racking up loads of frequent flyer points.
The Alpine pipit lives in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, and the common bronzewing is a very common pigeon, found over most of Australia. The crimson rosella is another Australian bird, a very attractive parrot, coloured crimson and blue. The common tailorbird lives in southern Asia, and looks similar to a wren.
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