Penguin Watch Talk

the difference between chicks and adults

  • JQ by JQ

    There are some really fluffy chicks in this picture, is my assumption that all the non fluffy penguins are adults safe? I ask because the pattern of white by the wings looks more like the chick picture than the adult picture. and some of the penguins are very thoughtlessly standing in position where it is difficult to see the white/black pattern.

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator in response to JQ's comment.

    Hi,

    It is a good question. And the answer is Yes, as for this one, all the fluffy ones are chicks. But it is not a general key feature. When moulting, adult penguins have a kind of fluffy look too. And since they moult at about the same time as their kids, we are not able to tell who is who safely at the moment. So it is an example when we want everyone to mark them all as adults. (This is not the case as I said.) There are some hints how to tell them apart in our FAQs. Have a look please 😃

    Cheers,
    Zuzi

    Posted