Yellow-eyed penguin

노란눈펭귄

A penguin of southeastern New Zealand with pale yellow eyes and a yellow band around the head. Unlike most penguins it nests apart from others, in coastal forest and scrub. It is among the rarest penguins in the world.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Birds
Lives in: Otago coast, southeastern South Island, New Zealand
Diet: Fish eater
Weight: about 5.5 kg
Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN EN)
Habitat: coasts, forests

Quick answers

Where does the Yellow-eyed penguin live?

It lives in coasts, forests of the Pacific Ocean. On the globe you can find it near Otago coast, southeastern South Island, New Zealand.

How big is the Yellow-eyed penguin?

It grows to about 5.5 kg.

What does the Yellow-eyed penguin eat?

Its diet: fish eater.

Is the Yellow-eyed penguin endangered?

It is listed as Endangered (IUCN EN).

The yellow-eyed penguin, or hoiho, lives only in New Zealand. It breeds along the south-eastern coast of the South Island, and on Stewart Island and the Auckland and Campbell Islands. It has pale yellow eyes and a yellow band across its head.

It is the only living species in its genus, Megadyptes, and mostly eats fish. It is rated Endangered, and appears on the New Zealand five-dollar note. In New Zealand it is also known by its Maori name, hoiho. It is rare because its population on the mainland has fallen a lot over the past two decades, and the main danger is at sea as well as on land.

A shy penguin

Unlike many penguins that nest in noisy crowds, yellow-eyed penguins nest apart from each other in coastal forest and scrub. Visitors on the Otago Peninsula can watch from hides, trenches and tunnels without disturbing them.

Scientists once thought it was a close relative of the little penguin, but DNA shows it is closer to the crested penguins of the genus Eudyptes, from which it split about 15 million years ago. Colonies on the Otago Peninsula are a popular visitor attraction.

Why is it rare?

On the mainland, its numbers have dropped a lot in the past 20 years. On the Otago Peninsula the number fell by 75 percent since the mid-1990s, and it could disappear there in 20 to 40 years.

A disease outbreak in the mid-2000s was a big reason. Fishing, pollution and warming seas may also play a role. People are trying to protect nesting areas and reduce threats at sea to keep the species alive.