How St Kilda breakwater penguins were mapped to the metre
A.6.3. R.1.5. Zc.5.1. On a volunteer’s data sheet, those few characters told anyone reading it exactly where a penguin had been found on the St Kilda breakwater, usually to within about a metre. They look a bit like spreadsheet cell references. In a way, that’s what they are. The system behind them is one of […]
St Kilda penguin photos: the breeding year, stage by stage
Eight photographs and eight one-line captions. That was the whole photo gallery on the old version of this site, archived by the Wayback Machine in 2011 and 2012, and people still go looking for it. This page is our rebuild of those St Kilda penguin photos as a walk through the little penguin breeding year, […]
Little penguin vocalisations: what the St Kilda study found
Fifty penguins, one microphone and a lot of one-minute counts. Between May and September 2004, two researchers from Victoria University of Technology set up a portable workstation on the St Kilda breakwater and counted every call each bird made while it was being handled. Their study of little penguin vocalisations, by Bernice Romijn and Carol […]
St Kilda penguin report 2009-10: the season in numbers
Two hundred and sixty-two nests, an estimated 1,215 birds and 248 new microchips. That is the 2009-10 season on the St Kilda breakwater in three numbers, and this page is our plain-English rewrite of the St Kilda penguin report that recorded them. The original was a short Word document by Zoe Hogg, summing up the […]
Why little penguins can’t fly, but swim like torpedoes
Little penguins traded flight for speed underwater. Here’s why Eudyptula minor’s wings evolved into flippers built for swimming, not flying.
How deep do little penguins dive, and how do they hunt?
Little penguin diving depth and duration explained: how Eudyptula minor hunts small fish and squid beneath Port Phillip Bay before returning to St Kilda.
How far St Kilda’s penguins swim in a single night at sea
St Kilda penguin foraging trips can cover surprising distances each night. Here’s what’s actually known about how far they swim to feed.
Why almost no penguins actually breed on mainland Australia
Of 17-18 penguin species worldwide, only the little penguin breeds on mainland Australia. Here’s why, and what it means for the St Kilda colony.
How St Kilda’s penguins waterproof feathers, and why oil is fatal
Penguin waterproofing relies on preening and a single oil gland. Learn why marine oil spills are so lethal to St Kilda’s little penguin colony.
Heatwaves are the new threat St Kilda’s penguins can’t outswim
Climate-driven heatwaves are a growing risk for St Kilda’s little penguins, an urban colony with a fixed rock wall and nowhere cooler to go.
