Penguin Watch Talk

Questions

  • allidavis by allidavis

    Some of these penguins are hard to tell if they're a chick or an adult. There looks like maybe a dead penguin on the right side of the picture

    Posted

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

    Hi again, Alli 😃

    These are Adélies. At the first sight it seems that their chicks look almost the same as adults and can be hardly recognized.. but it's not as difficult.

    Adult Adélies have usually clear white bellies and clearly black back/head and black chins(!). You can see white circles around their eyes when they stay closer.

    -adult-

    Chicks of Adélies are full dark brown/grey and fluffy when small. Then they start changing their feathers (moulting), usually it first appears on their chins/breasts. The dark feathers there become creamy/dirty white but their back stays dark brown/grey and fluffy.

    ![-juvenile](http://www.antarctica.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0012/103431/varieties/antarctic.jpg =260x)

    At this time, it starts to be more difficult, but the easiest way to tell them apart is the chin/throat feather colour! When it is black, mark it as adult, when it is creamy, then it is definitely a chick. Can you tell the difference here? 😃

    ![-adult-juvenile-](http://bit.ly/1ZNovPI =600x)

    When you can't tell, whether it is a chick or an adult (for example when you see its back only), mark it as adult please.

    The differences between adults and juveniles are well described for each species in the FAQs(the 3rd one it is). Check it out.

    Hope this is helpful.

    Cheers,

    Zuzi

    Posted

  • gardenmaeve by gardenmaeve moderator

    What a clear, helpful post, yshish! Very nice!

    Posted

  • AvastMH by AvastMH moderator

    I agree with gardenmaeve - super post - great pics! 😃

    Posted