Adélie penguin

아델리펭귄

A penguin with a bright white eye ring that gathers pebbles to build its nest. About 70 cm tall, it sometimes steals stones from neighbours, and huge colonies like the one at Cape Adare gather to raise their chicks.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Birds
Lives in: Cape Adare, Ross Sea, Antarctica
Diet: Meat eater (carnivore)
Weight: about 4.8 kg
Length: about 0.7 m
Top speed: about 15 km/h
Lifespan: up to about 20 years
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: polar regions, coasts

Quick answers

Where does the Adélie penguin live?

It lives in polar regions, coasts of the Southern Ocean. On the globe you can find it near Cape Adare, Ross Sea, Antarctica.

How big is the Adélie penguin?

It grows to about 0.7 m and 4.8 kg.

What does the Adélie penguin eat?

Its diet: meat eater (carnivore).

How fast is the Adélie penguin?

It can reach about 15 km/h.

How long does the Adélie penguin live?

It can live up to about 20 years.

Is the Adélie penguin endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The Adélie penguin lives along the entire coast of Antarctica. It is the most widespread penguin in the Antarctic and, together with the emperor penguin, lives farther south than any other penguin. It is about 70 cm tall.

It was named after Adélie Land, which French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville named for his wife Adèle after he found the penguin in 1840. It hunts mainly krill and fish. Big colonies, like the one at Cape Adare, gather to raise chicks. Quiz data says it can live around 20 years. It is listed as Least Concern, and males and females look alike. Its Latin name is Pygoscelis adeliae.

A pebble nest

Adélie penguins build their nests out of small stones. The card says they sometimes steal stones from neighbours, so a good pebble is valuable.

Korean Wikipedia says they weigh up to about 6 kg, and males and females look alike. Huge colonies, like the one at Cape Adare, are busy places where pairs raise their chicks. Its Latin name Pygoscelis adeliae honours the same Adélie Land.

Swimming for food

Adélies feed by hunting and foraging, mostly on krill and fish. Quiz data says they swim at around 15 km/h and can dive to about 175 m.

The Adélie is one of three species in the genus Pygoscelis. The first specimens were collected on d'Urville's expedition in the late 1830s and early 1840s. The French surgeons Jacques Bernard Hombron and Honoré Jacquinot described the bird for science in 1841.

Fun facts

Adélie penguins build their nests from small stones, and sometimes steal stones from their neighbours.
Adélie penguins build nests from pebbles and sometimes steal from neighbours.
The species was named after the wife of an explorer.
Together with the emperor penguin, it lives the farthest south of all penguins.