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List of Penguin Species

By Nick Askew

Here’s a list of Penguin species. In total there are 18 species in the penguin family, of which 11 are Globally Threatened according to BirdLife on behalf of the IUCN Red List.

The list of penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) includes aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, members of the penguin familiy have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers.

Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater. They spend about half of their life on land and half in the oceans. Although all penguin species are native to the southern hemisphere, they are not found only in cold climates, such as Antarctica. In fact, only a few species of penguin live so far south. Several species are found in the temperate zone, and one species, the Galápagos Penguin, lives near the equator.

King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicusLC
Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteriLC
Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis papuaNT
Adelie Penguin Pygoscelis adeliaeLC
Chinstrap Penguin Pygoscelis antarcticusLC
Southern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes chrysocomeVU
Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyiEN
Fiordland Penguin Eudyptes pachyrhynchusVU
Snares Penguin Eudyptes robustusVU
Erect-crested Penguin Eudyptes sclateriEN
Macaroni Penguin Eudyptes chrysolophusVU
Royal Penguin Eudyptes schlegeliVU
Yellow-eyed Penguin Megadyptes antipodesEN
Little Penguin Eudyptula minorLC
African Penguin Spheniscus demersusEN
Humboldt Penguin Spheniscus humboldtiVU
Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicusNT
Galapagos Penguin Spheniscus mendiculusEN


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