Adélie Penguin
Pygoscelis adeliae
- Family
- Penguins (Spheniscidae)
- Order
- Sphenisciformes
Overview
The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent. It is the most widespread penguin species in the Antarctic, and, along with the emperor penguin, is the most southerly distributed of all penguins. It is named after Adélie Land, in turn, named for Adèle Dumont d'Urville, who was married to French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, who first discovered this penguin in 1840. Adélie penguins obtain their food by both predation and foraging, with a diet of mainly krill and fish.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Diet: Krill and small fish.
How to identify it
- Classic tuxedo penguin with an all-black head
- White ring around the eye
- Short bill mostly covered with feathers
Voice
Loud braying calls at colonies.
Where to see it
- Antarctic Peninsula (Paulet Island, Hope Bay)
- Ross Sea
Destination guides featuring this bird
- JJanuary: Best
- FFebruary: Best
- MMarch: Poor or no data
- AApril: Poor or no data
- MMay: Poor or no data
- JJune: Poor or no data
- JJuly: Poor or no data
- AAugust: Poor or no data
- SSeptember: Poor or no data
- OOctober: Poor or no data
- NNovember: Poor or no data
- DDecember: Poor or no data
- JJanuary: Best
- FFebruary: Best
- MMarch: Good
- AApril: Poor or no data
- MMay: Poor or no data
- JJune: Poor or no data
- JJuly: Poor or no data
- AAugust: Poor or no data
- SSeptember: Poor or no data
- OOctober: Poor or no data
- NNovember: Good
- DDecember: Best
Range and habitat
Breeds circumpolarly along coastline of Antarctica and associated islands; winters near edge of ice pack.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Adélie penguin
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
