Little penguin
Amazing fact
Little penguins have distinct calls that help parents and siblings recognize one another.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
No sign-up needed. You can save notes on this device.
An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Little penguins have distinct calls that help parents and siblings recognize one another.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Little penguin
- Scientific name
- Eudyptula minor
- Japanese name
- フェアリーペンギン（コガタペンギン）
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Sphenisciformes
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Genus
- Eudyptula
It lives in southern Australia and New Zealand and is the smallest kind of penguin.
Early in the morning while it is still dark, it heads out to sea in a group to chase fish, and after sunset the group comes back to shore together.
Its head and back are bluish, while its throat and belly are white.
How the Little penguin lives
It dives in shallow water and pursues its prey. In the wild, it makes a nest in a hole it digs or in a rock crevice. It calls often at night while resting.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web葛西臨海水族園Basic data
- Size
- about 40 cm葛西臨海水族園
- Weight
- about 1 kg葛西臨海水族園
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Small fish, squid, and other foods葛西臨海水族園
- Range
- Southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand葛西臨海水族園
Where the Little penguin has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 简体中文
- 小蓝企鹅
- 繁體中文
- 小藍企鵝
- 한국어
- 쇠푸른펭귄
- Español
- Pingüino azul
- Français
- Manchot pygmée
- Deutsch
- Zwergpinguin
- Português (Brasil)
- Pinguim-azul
- Italiano
- Pinguino minore blu
- العربية
- بطريق قزم
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Penguin Kecil
- Русский
- Малый пингвин
- Türkçe
- Küçük penguen
- ไทย
- เพนกวินน้อย
- বাংলা
- লিটল পেঙ্গুইন
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 葛西臨海水族園 — フェアリーペンギンChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Eudyptula minorChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Little penguin, look for this
- Look for its black bill.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Little penguin
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Spheniscidae
MORE TO MEET
