At this time, in certain circles, it was fashionable to stick yellow feathers in one’s hat, and this penguin reminded the English discoverers who named this penguin of this flamboyant fashion style. Their name doesn’t have anything to do with their food (how would a penguin order macaroni anyhow), but with a fashion trend from the mid 18th century. The Macaroni Penguin is one of the crested penguins, as can be clearly seen in the picture above. Because of these factors, we usually only see a few Macaroni Penguins during a trip to South Georgia, despite it being the most common species of penguin. Macaroni Penguins at the colony in between the Tussock at Cooper Bayįinally, the two more or less accessible Macaroni colonies that I know on the northern or eastern shores are quite exposed, making zodiac cruising or landing very difficult if the conditions are not ideal (which they often are not).
This is much more challenging terrain to get to, especially as it is more difficult to find the aggressive Antarctic Fur Seals in between. Secondly, where King Penguins breed on flat coastal plains which are relatively easily accessible for tourists (once you’ve passed the waves on the beach that is), Macaroni Penguins climb much higher and breed in between the Tussock Grass hummocks. Macaronis however, are much more abundant on the seldom-visited southern/western part of the island. First of all, King Penguins are most common on the north/eastern side of the island, which is the part of the island that is visited most. Then how come many people see King Penguins as the penguin species of Antarctica? There are several reasons for that.
There are around 450.000 breeding pairs of Kings, not a small number, but there are 1.000.000 breeding pairs of Macaroni Penguins. Simple text describes where macaroni penguins live, how these penguins care for their young, and how they use their web feet to swim.An excellent question for a pub quiz on South Georgia and Antarctica (in fact, I’ve used this question already for that purpose): “What is the most common species of penguin on South Georgia?” Many people who have just visited the island will think it’s the King Penguin as that is by far the most common species they’ve seen. This title introduces readers to the macaroni penguin. Also includes To Find Out More section that lists additional reading materials and websites that will encourage readers to learn more about an animal. Includes glossary with pronunciation guide and an index. The spreads link text to images and explore the habitat, eating habits, and other fascinating facts about each animal.
Also includes To Find Out More section that lists additional reading materials and webs The Animals of the World emergent reader series introduces children to different animals from around the world.
The Animals of the World emergent reader series introduces children to different animals from around the world.