Penguin Watch Talk

Chicks versus Adults.

  • edeldj by edeldj

    Very difficult to identify which are adult and which are chicks. More advice from experts on this would be appreciated. How does one do this when the image is so small. Is it better to leave those one is unsure about unmarked and only mark those about which one is certain?

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  • DZM by DZM admin

    Hi @edeldj, thanks for asking! Our general go-to is: when in doubt, please mark as adults.

    Thanks, and good luck!!

    Posted

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

    Hi @edeldj,

    Actually it's not always easy to distinguish between them (especially when the chicks are older or moulting) but here are some clues which could help you with it:

    Gentoo adults (like these ones present in the image) have typical clear white patches on their heads but their chicks have them faint and fuzzy (like the one in the bottom left corner).

    As for the other species:

    Adelie adults have completely dark chicks so they can be easily recognized.

    Rockhopper adults have typical yellow whiskers on their heads (I haven't seen any image with such distanced Rockhoppers in this data set yet.) Their chicks are brown with dirty white bellies.

    Chinstrap adults are black and white but their chicks are light grey. Adults have typical black strap over their white chin (look like having a black bicycle helmet).

    King penguins have completely brown chicks. You can't be wrong at these:)

    Generally, in a comparison to adults the chicks look more dirty and fuzzy. Even when they have white feathers they're usually not as white as the adults' ones.

    Thanks for this question. It's always better to mark the unsure ones as adults rather then not to mark them at all. At least the scientists will know that there are some penguins 😃.

    Hope this answers your question. Thank you for your hard work on the project and don't worry if you make any mistakes.

    Zuzi

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator

    OK, you can get even distanced Rockhoppers in some images:) http://talk.penguinwatch.org/#/subjects/APZ0003pq9

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