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All About Penguins
Penguins are birds. They have feathers, beaks and wings, and they lay eggs.
Their closest relatives are other fish-eating seabirds: albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters.
There are currently 17 species of penguins. They range in size from the small two-pound (1 kg),
16-inch (41 cm) little blue penguin to the large 84-pound (38 kg), 51-inch (130 cm) emperor penguin. They've
adapted to environments as different as Antarctic ice fields and the tropical Galápagos islands.
Yet all penguins share their ancestors' trait: they're at home in the ocean.
Blackfooted penguins can swim up to 15 miles (24 km) an hour—four times faster than the fastest human swimmer! Watch penguins “fly” under water (699k)
At home in the ocean
Penguins swim with surprising grace. A penguin's body is wedge-shaped, like a boat, and moves easily through water. Its strong, flipper-shaped wings work well under water, too; a penguin flaps them to "fly" forward while steering with its wings, feet and tail.
Penguins usually dive to find prey, whether it's fish, krill or squid. Most feeding dives are less than 150 feet (45 m), but some are much deeper. Emperor penguins have been recorded diving to depths of 1,300 feet (396 m); they can stay under water for as long as 30 minutes. Penguins don’t have teeth, but they have soft, flexible bristles on their tongues and in their
throats, which keep slippery fish from wiggling away.
Their formal wear defends them
With their dark back and white fronts, penguins look like they're wearing tuxedos. But they're dressed for success—their color pattern makes it harder for predators to see them in the ocean. Looking down at a penguin, it's hard to see its dark back against the dark depths below; looking up, it's hard to see its white belly against the sunlit surface.
Keeping warm
Penguins swim in the ocean's coldest and most food-rich currents. To survive the chill, warm-blooded penguins rely on feathers and fat for insulation. Penguin feathers are small and densely packed. The downy base of each feather traps an insulating layer of air against the bird's skin. The tips of the feathers overlap to form a waterproof outer coat.
Oil from a gland at the base of the tail helps waterproof the feathers. When a penguin preens, it spreads the oil throughout its feathers as it cleans and smoothes them.
Penguins, especially Antarctic ones, also rely on layers of fat to keep them warm. Typically, the colder the climate, the fatter the penguin. At the same time, stored fat enables penguins to go without food while they molt or brood their eggs.
Penguins preen to keep their feathers clean and waterproof.
Like most penguins, these blackfooted penguins gather in huge colonies on islands to breed and raise their chicks.
Social lives
Most penguins gather in colonies of hundreds, even millions, to nest and molt.
Colonies engage in a cacophonous symphony of squawking and calling. This din's not surprising—with so many birds in one spot, penguins need to communicate to get along.
Within the crowded colony, males and mated pairs defend nesting territories that usually extend from the nest to the far reach of the owner's bill. Intruders are common, and owners confront them with squawks, pecks and wing slaps that say "get out of here!"
Mates "talk" a lot
Males call and display to announce they have territory and to attract mates. Mated pairs call and display as they continue courting and as they build their nests. Parents display when they trade places on the nest.
While calling and displaying, penguins also flap their wings, shake their heads and bow to tell their mates and other penguins how they feel
Pairs establish and maintain their life-long bond with frequent calls and displays.
Penguin families
Penguins form strong bonds with their mates and often breed with the same partners for life. Since both parents are essential to the chicks' survival, a strong bond helps ensure the couple's—and the chicks'—success.
For most penguins, the nest is the center of family life. Most nests don't look like much—just a pile of rocks on bare ground or a mound of grass and twigs. Some penguins, including the blackfooted, prefer to nest in burrows or rock crevices.
It takes two to raise a family
Penguins share parental duties. As one parent tends to the nest and offspring, the other goes off to feed. When the feeding parent returns, it takes its turn on the nest and regurgitates food for its hungry chicks.
After their chicks hatch, both parents need to hunt to meet their growing offsprings' needs. While their parents are away, chicks gather in groups called crèches for protection, or hide in their burrows until their parents return with food.
Most penguins lay two eggs. Here, one egg has hatched. When food is plentiful, parents raise both chicks. In lean years, only one chick is likely to survive.
Recent DNA sampling has shown that albatrosses and penguins are related.
Penguins' ancestors were flying birds like albatrosses
Over
65 million years ago, penguins' ancestors began losing the ability to
fly and gaining the ability to swim and dive. Over the course of 20
million years, their wings grew small and flipper-shaped, their
feathers sleek and waterproof, their bones and bodies heavy. By 45
million years ago, birds that once flew through the air had evolved
into birds that flew through the sea.
Scientists recognize 40 species of these fossil penguins—species
long extinct. Some grew to five feet (152 cm) and 170 pounds (77 kg)!
All lived in the Southern Hemisphere, as modern penguins do today.
Color printout of all 17 penguin species. 
Watch penguins “fly” under water
