5 Macaroni Penguin Facts For Kids

Penguins are a fun animal to watch and they’re a favorite animal to see when you visit a zoo. They look like they’re wearing little tuxedos or suits and have a funny way of walking and of swimming. There are actually many different types of penguins and one is called the macaroni penguin. It’s easy to spot by its yellow plume or feathers on its head and by its large, round body.

What Makes Them Different

1. When you see most penguins you’ll note that they have black and white fur and look very much alike, but macaroni penguins have a tuft of yellow feathers on their head that looks something like a crown or cap. They are one of the only types of penguins to have anything colorful on their bodies and this sets them apart from other breeds.

2. The macaroni penguin is also very large, usually about twelve pounds in weight and standing at over two feet tall. This makes them very close to what is called the royal penguin, which is the largest breed of penguin known. The larger size of the macaroni penguin and its cousin the royal penguin makes it very strong, as its body weight keeps it warm in the cold temperatures of where it lives.

How They Live

3. Penguins are very social creatures and they live in very large groups called colonies. A colony of macaroni penguins can be as large as 100,000 in number! There are also some 18 million macaroni penguins known to exist today, making them one of the most common types found in the water.

4. Because they socialize with one another, macaroni penguins make noises to communicate and to scare off other penguins. They may also do what is called bill wrestling, where they fight each other using their bills or beaks. When they are trying to be quiet they use what is called a slender walk, where they keep their heads down and their flippers by their sides.

5. Like other penguins, the macaroni penguin eats fish and even squid, along with small stones that it will swallow to help break down the food in its body and digest it. Killer whales will eat the penguins themselves though so they need to be careful about diving for food, and many dive only right off the coast into the water and don’t go very deep underwater so they can stay safe.