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| Additional Information | Gentoo penguins forage at sea close to the colony, and thus their chicks can be frequently fed. This may explain why Gentoo penguins rear two chicks each year. Gentoo penguin eggs are taken by skuas. Young birds are preyed upon by sheathbills, caracaras (falcons), kelp gulls, giant petrels and feral cats, while older birds are taken by leopard seals. Nests are often flattened by indifferent elephant seals as they move about the island. Unlike other penguin species, gentoo penguins may breed as early as two years of age. Both male and females aduls incubate the egg and brood the chick in shifts. |
| Diet and Feeding Diet and feeding details |
Gentoo penguins feed on rock cod, amphipods and cephalopods (mainly squid). Females eat more krill than males, while males eat more fish. It is thought that gentoo penguins are gregarious at sea. |
| Habitat Includes realm (e.g. Terrestrial etc) and climatic information (e.g. Boreal); also includes requirements and tolerances; horizontal and vertical distribution; |
Gentoo penguins breed on sub-Antarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula in small to large colonies. Larger colonies exist at South Georgia, the Falkland Islands and Iles Kerguelen. |
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