Little Penguin
Photo: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Penguins

Little Penguin

Eudyptula minor

LCLeast Concern
Family
Penguins (Spheniscidae)
Order
Sphenisciformes

Overview

The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) is the smallest species of penguin in the world, and originates from New Zealand and Australia. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage, and is also known by its Māori name kororā. It is a marine neritic species that dives for food throughout the day and returns to burrows on the shore at dusk. Eudyptula minor feathers are dense in melanosomes, which increase water resistance and give them their unique blue colour.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.