Argentina, Chile, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), French Southern Territories (B), Heard Island and McDonald Islands (B), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (B).
Vagrant to Antarctica, Australia, Brazil (NB), New Zealand, South Africa (B), St Helena, Uruguay (NB).
Voice
A soft cooing in contact. A loud polysyllabic trumpeting, not unmusical song in display and an abbreviated version of it in call. Very noisy in breeding colonies between late spring and early fall. Chicks utter whistles.
King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) [XC396249]
by Sander Lagerveld from Sandy Bay, Macquarie Island, Australia (call)
King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) [XC295927]
by Sander Lagerveld from Bahia Inutil, San Clemente, XII Region, Chile (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Doesnot breed in Australia. Breeds mostly on sub-Antarctic Islands (throughout the year). Breeding cycle last 14 - 16 months. Will lay again if first brood is lost.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Nest
None. Egg is incubated on the feet. Birds do not move about carrying the egg while incubating but remain at the site of laying. In colonies.
Eggs (Guide)
1; smooth, pale greenish-white, usually with a white chalky covering; pyriform; about 104 x 74 mm. Incubation: about 37 - 47 days; by both sexes.
Young
Fledge in about 14 weeks. Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Young almost naked at hatching. After about three weeks they are covered in brownish down.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
More... see more information (images, calls, videos etc)
(46Kb) © ? (
BirdLife International Species Factsheet