THE NESTING OF THE LITTLE PENGUIN EUDYPTULA MINOR

Abstract

SUMMARY1. The behaviour of the Little Penguin Eudyptula minor was observed at Cat Island, Bass Strait during the 1957/58 nesting season.2. Although the birds have a number of natural enemies, man is probably the most serious destructive agent in this area at present.3. The bird's repertoire includes contact notes and “songs”, the latter as an accompaniment to a variety of display postures.4. During the stage when the chicks are guarded they are fed by the relieving adult soon after its arrival in the burrow, the young one's head being plunged into the parent's mouth. During “guard” and “post‐guard” stages the chicks studied were fed by only one adult bird although both might return to the nest.5. The chicks begin to emerge after dark from their burrows at about 23 days old. One was deserted at 56 days and left for the sea at 60 days.6. Display includes a variety of postures many of which seem analagous to those described by workers on some of the New Zealand and Antarctic penguins. A special dance precedes coition and trumpeting displays seem to serve for advertising territories and for threat. There is a welcome ceremony and ceremonial mutual preening.7. Coition is frequent during the nesting period and recurs later when the penguins return to their burrows to moult.8. Both old and young spend much time preening and collaborate in this activity.9. Unemployed single birds were the first to moult. One breeding pair returned after 41 days post‐breeding sojourn at sea, completed the moult and returned there after 18 days without food.