At 90 centimetres (3 feet) tall, the king penguin is the second largest species of penguin in the world after the emperor penguin. It lives in large colonies, called rookeries, on islands in the Southern Ocean close to Antarctica, such as South Georgia and Crozet Island. It swims in search of fish to eat, usually diving to depths of between 100 and 300 metres (about 300–1000 feet). On land, it walks with a wobbling gait or slides over the ice on its belly, using its feet and flippers to power it forwards.

Breeding

In the summer after mating the female lays a single egg. Both parents take it in turns to incubate the egg. The non-brooding parent goes off to hunt for fish. The brooding parent balances the egg on its feet so that it does not touch the cold ground. It covers it with a warm feathery flap, called a brood pouch, between its legs.

About two months later, the chick hatches out. It is covered in soft black down and is still carried on its parent’s feet to keep it off the ground. It is important that chicks gain weight and strength as quickly as possible, before the long, cold winter sets in.

Chicks

By the time the chick is two months old, it has grown a thick covering of short brown feathers. It is left with the other chicks in the colony while its parents go hunting for fish. This also helps to protect chicks from predators, such as skuas and giant petrels. Returning parents can struggle to find their own chicks among the thousands of penguins in the colony, so they recognize each other by their calls. They feed their chicks by partly digesting a fish, then regurgitating it into the chick's mouth.

When a chick is 10 months old, its adult feathers start to grow. By this point, it will have built up a layer of blubber to keep it warm and will rely less and less on its parents to feed it.