Uncommon summer - fall visitor, mostly to Tasmania, and also South Australia and Victoria.
Habitat
Marine, in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters north of the pack-ice. Often observed far from land and are assumed to be pelagic outside of the breeding season.
Antarctica (B), Argentina (NB), Atlantic (Antarctic) (B) (NB), Bouvet Island (B), Chile (B), Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (B), French Southern Territories (B), Heard Island and McDonald Islands (B), Indian Ocean (Antarctic) (B) (NB), Pacific (Antarctic) (NB), South Africa (B), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (B), Southeast Atlantic (NB), Southeast Pacific (B) (NB), Southwest Atlantic (B) (NB), Southwest Pacific (B), Western Indian Ocean (NB).
Vagrant to Brazil (NB), New Zealand, St Helena.
Southern Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans, mostly on islands of subantarctic, but breeding in small numbers south to Antarctic Peninsula.
Subantarctic islands in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, South Georgia, Kerguelen, Heard, South Shetland, South Orkney, Falkland, South Sandwich, Bouvet, Prince Edward and Crozet islands. Rare vargrant to Australian and New Zealand waters.
Food
Squid and shrimps, taken by pursuit-diving, both during the day and at night. Young feed on euphausiids.
Voice
Not well known, but very noisy, demonstrative and aggressive at breeding colonies. Mostly loud, harsh braying or raucous cries. A short barking contact call at sea.
Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) [XC863996]
by Kevin Guille from Sourcil Noir, France (call, song)
Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) [XC864001]
by Kevin Guille from Sourcil Noir, France (begging call, call, song)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds mostly on Antarctic continent and sub-Antarctic Islands (November - early December) as well as Macquarie Island (September - January).
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Nest
A shallow scrape, usually lined with rock chips or a few grass stalks, on bare ground, pebbles or rocks, on steep slopes or flat or gently sloping ground. In dense colonies.
Eggs (Guide)
2; matt, white, with a faint blue tinge; spherical to elongate-oval; about 65 - 105 x 45 - 52 mm, for first egg, second somewhat longer. Incubation: 35 - 39 days; by both sexes.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fed by both parents.
Subspecies
Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli) may be a subspecies of Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) rather than a full species.
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Snares Penguin (Eudyptes robustus)
Similar size. Bill is more orange-red. Crest is white and both sides do not meet at the forehead. Eye is red.
Notes
The Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) and Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli) are the only crested penguins with crests that meet on the forehead.
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
BirdLife International Species Factsheet