Penguin Watch Talk

Adults or chicks?

  • RKBStorey by RKBStorey

    This picture is quite distant and I think a large number of the birds are probably chicks but it's almost impossible to distinguish them. How should this be marked if that is the case?

    Posted

  • Nickypeng by Nickypeng moderator

    Hi RKBStorey

    If you can't tell, please mark them as adults.

    There is more information about identifying adults and chicks on one of the FAQ pages here: http://talk.penguinwatch.org/#/boards/BPZ0000006/discussions/DPZ0000ac2

    Happy counting

    NickyPeng

    Posted

  • mhwallace01 by mhwallace01

    I have seen penguins in the wild, and have some tips for identifying chicks vs adults on a photo.

    Adults can be quite shiny; chicks are fluffy, and the light is absorbed by
    their downy feathers.

    When standing up, chicks are shaped like pears, quite bottom heavy.
    Adults are shaped more like a tube, with the same circumference all the way down from the neck to the feet.

    There are also headless penguins in the photos; some tuck their beaks in their "armpits"
    when they sleep.

    Chicks usually have a lot of mess on the front of their bodies, the result of
    moving while the parent regurgitates food into their mouths; whet misses the mouth dribbles onto the feathers. Since
    many penguins eat krill, the mess is often a pinky taupe in color
    after it dries. Of course, adults at the nest get dirtier with
    every passing day, but it seems more brown than pink, in my experience.

    Chicks do not have the species marking of the adults on their heads,
another way to distinguish them.

    So, to find chicks, look for fluffy, pear shaped penguins with pink-taupe stains on their chests.
    AND
    Look for gray blobs at the feet of adults; they try to climb back into the egg pouch until they are quite large, often being able only to warm their heads in there.

    Often, chicks from the same parent are 2 different sizes; survival of the fittest in action.

    Of course, it's hard to see in many photos who is adult and who is chick.

    Michelle

    Posted

  • AvastMH by AvastMH moderator

    Hi Michelle,

    Gosh - thanks for this post. You're so lucky to have seen the real thing! We're just working on our FAQs so we're happy to have this kind of input! Thanks!

    Joan(AvastMH)

    Posted