(Click on any image below for a larger version)
We saw King Penguins only at Volunteer Point on East Falkland Island.
King Penguins were the largest species of
penguin that we saw on our expedition. They are much more
colorful than the other species. They have an orange spot on each
side of their head and an orange bib.
There are several hundred breeding pairs standing on a large
patch of bare earth at the King Penguin rookery. Nearby there are
large colonies of Gentoo penguins.
Many of the adult penguins are brooding eggs. Each holds its
large brown-spotted egg on its feet, covered by a large flap of
belly skin and feathers. The ground is nearly coated with white
penguin feathers.
The back feathers of the adult King Penguins are silvery gray,
not as dark black as other penguins.
The backs of Juvenile King Penguins are
blacker, not as silver as the adults' backs. Their head spots are
a pale yellow, rather than the intense orange of the adult's.
They are nearly as tall as the adults and actually a bit more
rotund, with better fat reserves.
Standing guard duty.
There are a few abandoned eggs lying on the
bare earth. Once a penguin drops its egg, it usually cannot get
it back up on its feet.
The chicks eventually molt, losing their downy
coat in clumps.
Penguins without a mate hang around the edges of the colony,
standing in small groups.
They make frequent mating displays, pointing their beak straight
up, flapping their outstretched wings, and belting out their
penguin song.
Other unattached males frequently join in the raucous display, leading to a chorus of loud calling by groups of a half-dozen or more. The chorus of mating calls is nearly continuous.
Sheep graze just a few yards from
the penguin rookeries.
King Penguins are described on the Falklands Conservation Penguin Page.
Link to the Penguin Page description of King Penguins .
Penguin index
page. You can buy a 2020 Calendar featuring my photographs of penguins taken in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands.
A dozen pictures of penguins taken in Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. Penguin species pictured include:
Gentoo
Adele
Chinstrap
Rockhopper
Macaroni
Magellanic
King.
Locations where the photographs were taken in the Falkland Islands include:
New Island
Carcass Island
Volunteer Point.
Antarctic locations include:
Paulet Island
Cape Lookout on Elephant Island.
Put a copy of the Penguins 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
Send
a message to Brian.
Hear the King Penguins.