Little Blue Penguin - Fairy Penguin

Little Blue Penguin Facts - Fairy Penguin Facts

The Little Blue Penguin is one quite small compared to other species. In fact, it is due to this small size that it is also referred to as the Fairy Penguin. It is the smallest of all the penguins in the world. It can weigh up to 2 pounds and it would be taller than 16 inches. They have a deep blue coloring to them which is why they have been named the Little Blue Penguin. This blue color is on top of their head and all down their back side. The front is white.

Distribution

The majority of Little Blue Penguins are found in Australia. Other places they have made their home include New Zealand and Chile. A small number of them have been identified around Tasmania as well.

Behavior

The colonies are well defined for the Little Blue Penguin. They will live in it all year long. Each mating pair has a burrow that they maintain. They will return to the same nesting area year after year. They are highly social with each other in the colony as well.

Diet /Feeding

Since these penguins are so small, they don’t need very much food on a daily basis. They consume very small fish, krill, and squid. They are also known to dive to the deep waters and to consume what they find there. They tend to be inshore hunters as long as there is enough of a food supply for them to do so.

Reproduction

At about four years of age, the Little Blue Penguin is ready to mate. They will choose one mate and remain with them for the rest of their lives. There are some reports though of finding a new mate if a partner dies. The mating process takes place around June of each year. There are complex rituals that the males go through in order to get the females interested in the act.

Generally, the females will lay two eggs. They must be incubated for a period of five weeks before they hatch. It is possible for the females to lay more eggs up through August of the same year. This is why the young are forced to leave their parents when they are five weeks old.

As a result, many of these young Little Blue Penguins aren’t able to survive. They become prey for a variety of predators out there both in then water and out. They include seals, sharks, snakes, and lizards. They are also know to get tangled up in fishing nets in the waters as they try to hunt for their own sources of food.

Conservation

The life span for the Little Blue Penguin in the wild isn’t very long. On average they will live about 6 ½ years. Since they don’t breed until at least four years of age, there are concerns about reproduction numbers. Each male and female will only have the opportunity to mate a couple of times before their own life ends.

Human Interaction

Human interactions with the Little Blue Penguins have helped them to live longer. There are plenty of places where they are in captivity and living up to 20 years. In such environments, humans continue to observe them to learn more about this particular species of penguin.

There are some locations where humans can observe the Little Blue Penguin in a natural habitat. For example the Philip Island Nature Park in Australia offers a great place to watch them in what has become known as the nightly penguin parade. This is when they are returning back to their burrows.