Northern rockhopper penguin

Rockhoppers have a black crest and yellow feathers which form extended `eyebrows’ that dangle behind the eyes.

These penguins are very vocal. Throwing their heads back, they `bray’ during courtship, to locate chicks, or warn others to stay away.

They are aggressive birds and will attack anything that bothers them. During fights, they slap each other with their flippers.  

Rockhopper penguins are so named because of their ability to hop over rocks and boulders, sometimes reaching heights of up to 1.8m.

They have very powerful legs for hopping and strong feet to grasp slippery and steep rocky surfaces along shorelines.  Their powerful tail acts as a counterbalance when they leap. 

Rockhopper penguins are lesser known for the epic voyages they make – each year, they spend six months at sea, swimming continuously to achieve one of the longest foraging trips made by animals.  

In the six months, they swim over two million square kilometres – an incredible feat in deadly cold water! 

A female rockhopper penguin lays two eggs in a clutch.  The first egg is smaller than the second, and it is always doomed! The mother might push it out of her nest or not incubate it.

Very rarely do both eggs hatch, even so the smaller chick from the first egg inevitably dies soon after. 

Both parents care for the chick for about 70 days before leaving to forage at sea. The chick joins a creche.