Chinstrap penguin
Amazing fact
Chinstrap penguins have a waterproof coat of short, densely packed feathers.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Chinstrap penguins have a waterproof coat of short, densely packed feathers.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Chinstrap penguin
- Scientific name
- Pygoscelis antarcticus
- Japanese name
- ヒゲペンギン
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Sphenisciformes
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Genus
- Pygoscelis
Where the name “Chinstrap penguin” comes from
Its high-pitched call has also earned it the English name “Stone cracker Penguin”.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebA penguin that lives around the Antarctic Peninsula and on islands off the coast of Antarctica.
A thin black line runs under its chin. Its Japanese name, meaning 'beard penguin', comes from this line.
Where it nests alongside Adelie and gentoo penguins, it builds its nest on higher ground than they do.
How the Chinstrap penguin lives
They live and breed in large colonies. They dive into the sea and eat mainly krill. A courting male pumps his chest and stretches his head upward. When a male starts calling loudly, other penguins join in.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Weight
- 3,000–5,000 g
- Diet
- Krill, small fish and other marine crustaceans
- Range
- Antarctic Peninsula and coastal islands of the continent
Where the Chinstrap 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
- 日本語
- ヒゲペンギン
- 简体中文
- 南极企鹅
- 繁體中文
- 南極企鵝
- 한국어
- 턱끈펭귄
- Español
- Pingüino barbijo
- Français
- Manchot à jugulaire
- Deutsch
- Kehlstreifpinguin
- Português (Brasil)
- Pinguim-de-barbicha
- Italiano
- Pigoscelide antartico
- العربية
- بطريق ملجم
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Penguin tali dagu
- Tiếng Việt
- Chim cánh cụt quai mũ
- Русский
- Антарктический пингвин
- Türkçe
- Sakallı penguen
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 名古屋港水族館 — ヒゲペンギンChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Pygoscelis antarcticusChecked: 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.
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