Regular winter visitor to southern Western Australia, moderately common winter visitor to South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.
Habitat
Marine, circumpolar in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters, north of northern limit of pack-ice. Also pelagic, but some time spent foraging close to shore.
Southern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) [XC70517]
by Robson Silva e Silva from Isla Pinguino, Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz, Argentina (call)
Southern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) [XC92371]
by Michele Peron from The Neck, Saunders Island, Falklands, United Kingdom (?)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds mostly on sub-Antarctic Islands (mainly August - March, depending on locality and varying slighly each year).
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Nest
A scrape in the ground, usually lined, with pebbles, and less often with grass and other vegetable material, on the ground on rocky scree, in natural tunnels in old lava flows, in fissures, caves in callapsing cliffs, sometimes in areas of tussock and other dense vegetation. In simple pairs, in colonies, often large.
Eggs (Guide)
2, rarely 3; dull white, green tinged but becoming stained; oval; first egg averaging 64 x 46 mm, the second being slightly larger, 72 x 53 mm. Incubation: both sexes, but by female first.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 67 - 72 days.
Subspecies
Eudyptes chrysocome (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Southern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) and Northern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi) following Jouventin et al. (2006). It is proposed that Eudyptes filholi be split from Eudyptes chrysocome by Banks et al. (2006), by this is not recognised by BirdLife International.
Three, filholi, the most common in Australian waters, chrysocome, a rare straggler and moseleyi, a frequent straggler.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
chrysocome (Forster, 1781) - Cape Horn, Falkland Is.
filholi Hutton, FW, 1879 - Southern Ocean, from Prince Edward Is east to Antipodes Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Eastern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes filholi).
moseleyi Mathews and Iredale, 1921 - Tristan da Cunha, Gough, St. Paul and Amsterdam islands. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Northern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi).
Similar Species
Snares Penguin (Eudyptes robustus)
Larger. Immature with immature. Has a longer and more robust bill, and bare skin at gape and base of bill more prominent. Supercillium is broader. Crest is shorter and less pendulous with fewer black feathers. Eye is dull red-brown.
Fiordland Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus)
Slightly larger. Has a longer, more robust bill. Supercillium is broader. Crest is shorter and less pendulous with fewer black feathers. Eye is dull red-brown. Lacks an occipital crest.
Erect-crested Penguin (Eudyptes sclateri)
Larger. Has a much larger and longer browner bill. Supercillium is broader. Chin is large. Has bold underflipper markings.
Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus)
Much larger. Has a massive bill. Has orange-yellow crest-plumes that rise from forehead. Lacks clearly defined supercillium.
Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli)
Much larger. Has a massive bill. Has orange-yellow crest-plumes that rise from forehead. Lacks clearly defined supercillium.
Compare Images
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
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet