Gentoo penguin

The gentoo penguin lives on islands in the cold southern oceans, including the Falkland Islands, where the species was first described in 1781 by Johann Reinhold Forster. You can recognise it by a white patch across its head and a bright orange bill. It is one of three penguins in the genus Pygoscelis, along with the Adélie and chinstrap penguins.

It is known as the fastest swimming penguin, reaching about 35 to 36 kilometres per hour underwater. Its most common call is a loud, trumpeting sound made with the head thrown back. Scientists still debate how many kinds there are: in 2021 the International Ornithological Congress recognised four subspecies.

Where does the strange name come from?

Nobody knows for sure why the penguin is called 'gentoo'. In old Anglo-Indian English the word referred to Hindus, and some people think the white head patch looked like a turban. Another idea is that the name comes from 'Johnny penguin', after the Spanish nickname Juanito. Its scientific name papua is a mistake too: Forster wrongly thought the bird lived in Papua New Guinea, but the nearest gentoos are more than 6,000 kilometres away, and no penguins live in New Guinea.

Relatives and subspecies

DNA studies suggest the genus Pygoscelis split from other penguins around 38 million years ago, and gentoos and chinstraps separated around 14 million years ago. Until 2021 only two kinds were recognised, a larger subantarctic one and a smaller Antarctic one. A 2020 study suggested four separate groups: northern, southern, eastern and South Georgia gentoos. This shows that even well-known animals can still surprise scientists.

On the globe

The toy model of the gentoo penguin stands in the Falkland Islands. Look for the white patch on its head and the orange bill.