Gentoo Penguins

Kelly Tarlton's Gentoo Penguins

Kelly Tarlton's Gentoos originally came from Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland in 1996.

'Squirty' is the tiny superstar of the colony and has an inquisitive love of cameras, the 'pigeon-toed' star dances in front of cameras, giving a special Penguin bow to her new human friends.

Conservation Status

Kelly Tarlton’s is the only place in New Zealand with a Gentoo penguin breeding program. The successful breeding programme has been in place for the past ten years. The birds are listed as “near threatened” on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List, with an estimated 300,000 breeding pairs remaining in the wild in sub-Antartic islands such as Falklands, South Georgia and Kerguelen islands, as well as on the Antarctic Peninsula itself.

Gentoo Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Pygoscelis papua
Gentoo penguins are the third largest of the 17 species of penguins
A Gentoo is easily recognised by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head
Our Gentoo penguins weigh between 5 and 7kgs and are about 75 -90cm tall (this is the same as Gentoos in the wild).
Adult Gentoos have no natural land predators and are therefore very tolerant of human presence. At sea Gentoos are subject to predation by sea lions, leopard seals and orcas.
Gentoos feed mainly on small fish, squid and crustaceans. Each bird will eat on average 10 to 14% of its body weight in fish per day. Our birds love to eat herring, sprats, salmon, mussels and squid.
Gentoos have one of the most prominent tails of all Penguin
In the wild, Gentoo penguins range from the sub-Antarctic Islands, right down to the Antarctic Peninsula
They have a lifespan of 17-22 years, usually longer in captivity

Gentoo Breeding

At Kelly Tarlton's, our Gentoo penguins reach sexual maturtity at around 2-3 years of age
The Gentoo breeding season is from October to December.
Each pair lay two eggs in a nest constructed from rocks and vegetation
Both Gentoo parents help to incubate the eggs for 35 days and once hatched, both parents share the duties of rearing their young
By two months of age, a Gentoo chick has reached adult size and has learnt to swim
Gentoos are relatively monogamous [this means they stay with the same partner].
Pairs are likely to remain together the following year if they have bred successfully the previous year. Gentoos also have a tendency to go back to the same spot to nest each year.