Little Blue Penguins by Oliver

If a blue jay and a penguin had a baby, you will get the Little Blue Penguin (not really). These penguins are the smallest in the world, and we recently had the privilege of seeing them. Weighing just 1 kg on average, these little waddlers are one of New Zealand’s pride birds. The Māori, New Zealand’s native people of Polynesian ancestry, call the Little Blue Penguin Kororā, which translates to “little penguin.” The International Antarctic Centre boasts a sizable population of rescued Korora, an interestingly cute display of a small bird with a huge personality. 

When we visited the Centre, I noticed the close observation put on these penguins, each with a name and an array of characteristics. A keeper told us the story of Fred and Miley. A dog sadly attacked Miley, causing her serious trauma and anxiety. Her boyfriend Fred, a gentle giant, has a scissor beak characterized by his top beak not falling directly on his bottom beak. These conditions severely affect their survivability in the wild, which is why the Centre takes Fred, Miley, and the rest of the flock in. I noticed that the couple seemed to care for each other like we do; they sunbathe together and bring each other out of their shells. That's the definition of a good time! This was a heartwarming story that helped me relate to these little birds. However, we were informed that the Kororā are not always monogamous, with 1 in 4 changing partners annually and only 1 in 10 remaining cuffed, or together, for 5 years. 

There was a plethora of information surrounding the exhibit, with infographics and a screen showing all the penguins and their personality traits. When looking at this screen, I found their mating behavior the most interesting. Once the couple meets, they will mate. The male will then dig a nest underground or move into burrows dug by another species to prepare for the chicks. What opportunists! The Centre emulates this using small wooden boxes with tunnels into the exhibit. They constructed glass peepholes so we could look into their nest and show off their cute and cuddly nesting behavior. Once underground, the female will lay two eggs and the parents will take turns incubating them. The woman at the Centre says they get around this by swiping the real eggs just after they lay them and replacing them with rubber eggs. How deceiving! The birds eventually lose interest in the rubber egg and no offspring is produced. This puzzled me at first. The keeper then explained that having a breeding program would take resources and space needed to keep disabled penguins like Fred and Miley. After this, I understood and appreciated the Centre’s program even more.

Another purpose of the Centre’s husbandry of Kororā is to raise awareness for species conservation. I read many infographics that emphasize the public’s importance in keeping populations high, citing predation and litter as the top killers of these cute creatures. Introduced mammals, from cats to stoats, love to use flightless birds as easy meals. Seeing these cute birds threatened by litter and predators struck a chord with me. I realized that controlling predator populations by hunting them or buying fur products from their hides is crucial to helping out the native bird species of New Zealand, especially the Little Blue Penguin. Overall, the Kororā are magnificent little birds. Come to the International Antarctic Centre when you get the chance, you will not be disappointed!

Little Blue Penguins enjoying their habitat

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