Penguin Watch Talk

Chicks v juveniles

  • Otterman by Otterman

    For tagging purposes, at what point is a penguin visually distinctive as a juvenile bird

    Posted

  • DZM by DZM admin

    I would actually love an answer for this, myself. I tend to default to "adult," but for some species the visual distinction can be slight!

    Posted

  • BellisP by BellisP

    It can be very tricky! but the good news is the scientists have told us to mark as adults if we ever aren't sure, so at least the birds are recorded.

    This photo is a good illustration for Gentoo penguins, as several of the the chicks are about full size, and both adults and chicks are moulting which doesn't help at all! But.... the head and neck markings are how to be sure. Look for the white headphone like patches which generally show the bird is an adult and can be seen at a distance. Personally I think that the very oldest chicks have these as well but if you can have a close enough look, check the colour under the beak. Adults have a lot of black below the face, down to the top of the chest roughly collar height, whereas the juveniles have just a small black area below the beak and the lower neck is still white.

    It gets more complicated when you have several species in one photo, but generally juveniles are fluffier, and the black/white borders are smudged, not sharp. If in doubt just mark as adult.

    Posted

  • BellisP by BellisP

    If you think its hard to tell in this photo try this other one out
    http://talk.penguinwatch.org/#/subjects/APZ0001khn
    my gut instinct says they are all juveniles except the chap in the bottom right, but i just can't be sure so marked them all as adults.

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

    Hi guys,

    Thanks for the question and thank @Bellis for such a complex answer!

    I'm currently away on an official twelve-day trip in the mountains with a very bad internet connection. I can be online only few minutes a day. So please, be patient with your other questions;] I'll do my best to answer them later.

    Thank you.

    Z.

    Posted

  • Otterman by Otterman

    BellisP -Excellent, thanks! Good to know the parameters.

    Z. Hope you find a place in the mountains with no internet connection.

    Posted