The Adelie Penguin is a common penguin in Antarctica, with 38 colonies and over 5 million of them in the Ross Sea region. It was named by French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville after his wife, Adélie. These cute penguins are very social and nest in huge groups. They are about 28 inches tall and they can be recognized by their long tail, white eye ring and red bill.
The Adelie Penguin is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2012 by BirdLife International. This species has been uplisted to Near Threatened because it is expected to undergo a moderately rapid population decline over the next three generations owing to the effects of projected climate change. It should be noted, however, that there are considerable uncertainties over future climatic changes and how they will impact the species.
Today is Penguin Awareness Day! This commemorative day is always celebrated on January 20th, though the origins of the holiday are unclear. What is very clear is that these special charismatic birds deserve celebration! Many of the world's penguin species face population threats from habitat loss and other... Read more »
With very few exceptions, our Birdorable cute bird illustrations are of adult plumage birds. If you think they're cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Here are some baby photos (shared via Flickr) of the Adelie Penguin. Read more »
