Little Blue Penguin

Māori name - Korora
Scientific name: Eudyptula Minor
The little blue is the smallest of all penguins growing to between 35-40cm and weighing in at only 1kg.
These penguins live an average of 6-7 years though have been known to live for more than 20 when in captivity.
They can be found all around the coast of New Zealand, the southern coast of Australia, as well as surrounding islands.
They sport steel blue coats and white bellies, which is the perfect camoflage for swimming in the ocean
Little blues race through the water at speeds of around 6km per hour.
Rats, cats, ferrets, stoats, weasels and dogs are all introduced species and natural predators of the little blue penguin.
Little blues spend their days swimming the oceans, eating fish, squid and crustaceans. They come ashore after dark so are not frequently spotted by humans.
Little Blues have a very low divorce rate and will usually mate for life.
Between May and June the Little Blues prepare their nests for the breeding season. Between August and November a breeding pair will lay 1 or 2 eggs. By around eight weeks of age the chicks are ready to fend for themselves.
Little Blues commonly return to breed to a spot very close to where they were hatched and will continue to use the same spot.
Each year sometime between November and March Little Blues will spend two weeks ashore moulting and growing a new coat. They can look very dishevelled at this time but are best left alone.
Although numbers of Little Blues have reduced since the introduction of Mustelids and the ever expanding human population, with care from the Department of Conservation their numbers are stable and they are not considered under threat from extinction.

For more information see

New Zealand Penguins: Everything you need to know about penguins in New Zealand
Penguin Encounter: Find out more about the Antarctic Centre’s penguin encounter
Department of Conservation: The department of conservation has information about the penguins of New Zealand
Oamaru Penguin Colony: Find out more about Oamaru’s Little Blue colony
Yellow Eyed Penguins: This library page has facts about the yellow eyed penguin, another NZ native

Or try searching for Penguins in the library catalogue.