Eudyptula minor
Other names - Korara, Small Penguin, Fairy
Penguin, Little Penguin, Little Blue Penguin, Southern Blue Penguin,
White-flippered Penguin.
Identification - 40 cm (16 in.). Small
penguin which is bluish-black above and silvery-white below. The
upper part of the flipper is blue black with a white trailing edge
which is much more pronounced in the morph found on Bank's Peninsula.
Similar species - At sea could be confused
with Yellow-eyed penguin but Blue is much smaller, bluer and lacks
yellow head-band.
Range - Around coast of mainland and offshore
islands. Also on Chathams. Also found in southern Australia and
Tasmania.
Status - Common.
Where to see - In coastal waters and at
the viewing area at Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony.
Notes - Numbers have declined in recent
years due to predation and human encroachment. The white-flippered
morph from Banks Peninsula is considered by some people to be a
distinct species: the White-flippered Penguin Eudyptula albosignata.
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