Adelie Pygoscelis adeliae
Adélies are truly Antarctic penguins, restricted to Antarctic coastal waters. During winter they spend their time in the pack ice, then in the summer they move south, back to the Antarctic coast. Closely packed Adélie rookeries of many thousands of pairs are found all around the Antarctic continent, on ice-free slopes and islands, often far from open water. Fishing mainly for krill, they can dive up to 175m, but mainly catch their food at the surface.
Chinstrap Pygoscelis antarctica
Named after the black band of feathers under their chin, chinstrap penguins are probably the most abundant penguin in the Antarctic regions, with an estimated population of nearly eight million pairs, concentrated on the Antarctic Peninsula. Living mainly on a diet of crustaceans (they can dive up to 70m but catch most of their food in half-minute dives in the top 10m of the sea), chinstraps stick close to their breeding grounds. Unusually, they often dive at night.
Emperor Aptenodytes forsteri
The emperor is the giant of the penguin world and one of the largest of all birds. Gold patches on their ears and on the top of their chest brighten up their black heads Emperors and their closest relative, the king penguin, have unique breeding cycles, with very long chick-rearing periods. The emperor penguins breed the furthest south of any penguin species, forming large colonies on the sea-ice surrounding the Antarctic continent. They are true Antarctic birds, rarely seen in the subantarctic waters
Gentoo Pygoscelis papua
Gentoo penguins have the most prominent tail of all penguins, which sticks out behind and sweeps from side to side as they walk. They have white patches extending from their eyes and a bright red-orange beak. They are one of the least numerous Antarctic penguins, with about 300,000 breeding pairs. Gentoo penguins are less likely to stick together than other penguins and can be found in small groups, sometimes with other species. Although they are not strongly attached to the same nest site (they have plenty of choice of sites) their pair-bonding is strong, and they usually mate with the same partner as the previous year.
King Aptenodytes patagonicus
King penguins are the second largest penguins, with a striking patch of orange-gold feathers on their neck. They are expert divers, reaching depths of greater than 240m, but walk slowly and deliberately on land. Unlike their closest relative, the emperor penguin, kings prefer warmer temperatures and live in vegetated regions of the sub-Antarctic, meaning that they do not have to put up with the temperature extremes of the Antarctic continent. However, they too have highly unusual breeding cycles.
Eudyptes chrysolophus
Named after the bizarre “Macaroni coiffure” hairstyles of 18th century dandies, macaroni penguins have orange tufty plumes for eyebrows. With an estimated population of 12 million breeding pairs, macaroni penguins are the most numerous penguins, but only a proportion of them live in the Antarctic region where they inhabit sub-Antarctic islands (although there is one macaroni rookery on the Antarctic Peninsula).
Albatrosses
The wandering albatross is the largest of seabirds, with a wing span reaching 3m and a body mass of 8–12 kg. Albatrosses have one of the lowest reproductive rates of any bird. All species of albatross lay a single egg, several species breed only every second year and most take ten years to reach sexual maturity. They have very long life spans, with some individuals living to over 60 years of age. Albatrosses cover huge distances when foraging for food, even during breeding, with the foraging ranges of most species covering thousands of square kilometres of ocean.
Petrels
Several species of petrel in a wide ranging group of families can be found in the Antarctic. Most petrels have a skittering, skimming-type flight; hence their name, which means 'Little Peter" for the Apostle who walked on the water with Christ on the Sea of Galilee. All petrel species have dense plumage, webbed feet and deeply grooved and hooked bills. Many species breed in dense colonies on cliffs and steep rocky slopes, some of them 60 miles or more from the open sea on inland nunataks and mountain ranges. Petrels typically have long nostrils, indicating a strong sense of smell, unusual for birds.
Giant Petrels
Largest of the petrel family, Giant petrels, unlike albatrosses, forage on both land and sea. On land, they kill birds as large as King penguins and scavenge in seal colonies. At sea, they eat fish, squid and crustaceans, scavenging dead whales and seabirds, as well. Their carrion-feeding reputation earned them the nickname 'stinkers' from whalers.
Antarctic Petrel
The Antarctic petrel is a boldly marked dark brown and white petrel, a little smaller than the Antarctic fulmar. They are mostly found in the Ross Sea region. Eggs are laid in November after the adults arrive at their nest sites the previous month. Chicks fledge in March. The rest of the year, the colonies are deserted while the birds stay at sea around the pack ice. They eat krill, fish, and small squid.
Cape Petrel
The Cape petrel, also known as the 'painted one' because of the striking pattern on its back and wings is a dark brown-black and white petrel smaller than the Antarctic Petrel. They breed on cliff ledges. A common 'ship-follower,' the Cape petrel eats just about anything edible thrown overboard. These pigeon sized birds nest on the sea cliffs and in rock crevices and can live for 15 to 20 years.
Great-winged Petrel
The Great-winged petrel is an all dark-brown petrel found in the 'Roaring Forties.' They breed in winter and lay a single egg in May to July in burrows excavated out of vegetated peat slopes. Chicks fledge in November and December, just when the summer-breeding burrowing petrels are getting started. Like most burrowing petrels, Great-wings arrive at their burrows after dark, to reduce their chances of being caught by predatory Antarctic skuas. Great-wings eat primarily squid caught at night
White-headed Petrel
The White-headed Petrel is a burrowing petrel with dark wings, a white head with a dark eye and a pale body and tail. They breed in summer, laying a single egg in burrows they excavate in the soft peat of tussock grassland. Their diet includes crustaceans, squid, and lantern fish, caught by surface-seizing. White-heads are not rare and their population probably numbers in the low hundred thousands.
Atlantic Petrel
The Atlantic petrel is one of the largest gadfly petrels, recognised by its striking white breast and belly in contrast to the rest of its plumage which is uniformly brown. Population is in the low tens of thousands. They breed in burrows in winter, with chicks being fed in October. They feed mainly on squid and fish.
Wilson's Storm Petrel
The tiny Wilson's storm petrel is one of the world's most abundant seabirds. They are regular ship followers and are associated with whales. They lay a single egg in December in burrows and rock crevices in cliffs, rocky slopes and scree banks. They eat mainly copepods and krill, as well as small squid and fish.