Erect-crested Penguin
A species of Crested Penguins Scientific name : Eudyptes sclateri Genus : Crested Penguins
Erect-crested Penguin, A species of Crested Penguins
Botanical name: Eudyptes sclateri
Genus: Crested Penguins
Content
Description General Info
Description
This is a small-to-medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, at 50–70 cm (20–28 in) and weighing 2.5–6 kg (5.5–13.2 lb). The male is slightly larger than the female and as in most crested penguins has a larger bill. It has bluish-black to jet black upper parts and white underparts, and a broad, bright yellow eyebrow-stripe which extends over the eye to form a short, erect crest. Its biology is poorly studied and only little information about the species has emerged in the past decades. The only recent study conducted on the Antipodes Islands focused on aspects of the mate choice. Research on the species is hampered by logistics and restrictive permitting by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. It presumably feeds on small fish, krill and squid like other crested penguin species. The binomial commemorates the British zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater. 
Size
68 cm
Feeding Habits
Erect-crested Penguin primarily consume crustaceans, cephalopods, and small fish. Specific feeding behaviors are not well-documented, but erect-crested Penguin are likely adept divers, sourcing food from the ocean. No unique dietary preferences or adaptations are noted.
Habitat
The erect-crested Penguin primarily resides in marine environments and is likely pelagic when not breeding. Its breeding habitats include rocky coasts, cliffs, or beaches that can be either bare or vegetated with tussock grass. The species typically forages in offshore waters.
Dite type
Piscivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
Erect-crested penguins breed on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands. Previous records of small breeding populations have also been reported from Campbell Island and the Auckland Islands; in the 1940s a breeding pair was documented on the Otago Peninsula on the New Zealand mainland. The species spends extended times at sea during the pre-moult period (February-March) as well as over the winter months (March-August). Individuals have been found as far away as the Falkland Islands and it is also a vagrant to Argentina, Antarctica and Australia. Erect-crested penguins nest in large colonies on rocky terrain. On the Antipodes Islands, the penguins breed in mono-specific colonies or sometimes sympatrically with Southern Rockhopper penguins. On the Bounty Islands, Erect-crested penguin breed in large mixed colonies with Salvin's albatross.
Species Status
Populations of this species are believed to have declined drastically since the 1940s. Population estimates from the late 1970s put the total numbers of Erect-crested penguins breeding on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands at 230,000 breeding pairs although the accuracy of these figures have recently been questioned. Nevertheless there is ample evidence for substantial population declines in the second half of the 20th century although these declines seem to have slowed in recent decades. The current population is estimated at 150,000 mature individuals and is being listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List; the erect-crested penguin is listed as endangered and granted protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Penguins Family
Penguins Genus
Crested Penguins Species
Erect-crested Penguin 
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