How to identify
penguins

Cruise tips you can trust

 

Each penguin species
has a unique pattern

Penguin watching is a major activity on an Antarctica cruise. I created the graphic below to help you quickly identify seven major species.

Insights on the
above penguins

Chinstrap

These cute penguins are the sentimental favorite of most tourists. They wear a "helmet strap" and innocent expression. The Chinstrap penguins have a large population and favor the South Shetland Islands, which most cruise ships visit.

Gentoo

You will see this coral-orange beaked penguin on the Antarctica Peninsula and South Georgia Island, and in other areas. The penguins in the box-office hit "Happy Feet" animated film are closely modeled after the Gentoos.

Adelie

This white-circled-eye penguin bursts with curiosity, to the delight of visitors. The population is large. Some colonies number 100,000 birds.

Rockhopper

They are aptly named - the birds hop from rock to rock when climbing steep slopes to reach their high cliff nests. You'll see them in the Falkland Islands.

To learn about the
Macaroni, Emperor, and King
penguins, click

PAGE TWO - Macaroni, Emperor, & King

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How to identify penguins
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