Penguins in action

Adelies returning from the sea

Adelies are the most abundant of the penguins, with a total estimated population of around 5 million.

Two eggs are laid in mid-November and incubated for 32-37 days.  Nests are made by filling shallow depressions with small pebbles.  Soper (2004) writes that pebbles are ... gathered by stealth and thievery and jealously guarded ... as the eggs must be kept at a level higher than the melt-water.  We actually observed this behavior going on in the colonies.

Adelies going fishing

Their average speed in the water is 4 1/2 miles per hour, and the maximum recorded dive was 574 ft. (Soper, 2004).  They eat mainly krill (Euphausia crystallorophias).

Macaroni penguins were named after 18th century "dandies" making the grand tour of Italy sporting an unusual hairdo that involved dying their hair in streaks and extending the crests over their ears.  When they arrived back in England, they were called "macaronis" -- in an association of  Italians (and Italy) with pasta (Soper, 2004).  This group is somewhat reminiscent of the mafia.

Community life among the Gentoo penguins at Neko Harbour

Soper (2004) characterizes Chinstrap penguins as mini-mountaineers.  They like to nest high on rocky slopes and are ... perfectly capable of bullying an Adelie off its nest in a takeover.

King penguins are technically a sub-Antarctic species but the population of 200,000 on the Island of South Georgia, south of the Convergence, usually qualifies them as Antarctic.

 
Do you think they are discussing weather conditions, here, or are they the welcoming committee for arriving scientists (or maybe the Polar Star)?