Little Penguin

A Fairy Penguin lying prone on a rock
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Scientific Name: Eudyptula minor 

Size: 32 to 34 cm

What does it look like?

The Little Penguin is a small, blue and white penguin.

Where is it found?

It is a common sight along the coastline of southern Australia, from Perth, Western Australia, to about Nelsons Bay, New South Wales. 

What are its habitats & habits?

The Little Penguin spends the daylight hours at sea, and awaits the cover of night before coming ashore to roost in rock crevices and burrows. The Little, or Fairy, Penguin, is the only species of penguin to nest on the Australian mainland, and the only one to nest in a burrow. Similar to other penguins, food, mostly small fish and squid, is caught in  skillful underwater pursuits. The birds flap their wings as they swim, as if they ‘fly’ underwater.

Interesting facts

On Phillip Island, Victoria, and on Bruny Island, Tasmania, the nightly “penguin parades” have become a tourist attraction.

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Front cover of Australia's Birdwatching Megaspots book showing a picture of an Eastern Spinebill

This species features in my book Australia’s Birdwatching Megaspots

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