Macaroni Penguin

About the Macaroni Penguin
Also known as: Royal Penguin
Macaroni Penguin
The Macaroni Penguin is a crested species of penguin found across parts of the Subantarctic. They feed on a variety of small crustacean prey, like little fish and krill.

Macaroni Penguins are named after a fashion trend of the early 19th century. When the bird was first described for science, a flamboyant style of dress featuring bold ornamentation was known as maccaronism. The shaggy yellow crest of the Macaroni Penguin was likened to the fashion trend and the bird's common name stuck.

Although the Macaroni Penguin is considered to be Vulnerable to extinction, it is the most abundant species of penguin, with about 18 million birds in the global population.
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Macaroni Penguin Photos

Details & Statistics

Conservation

The Macaroni Penguin is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2013 by BirdLife International. This species qualifies as Vulnerable because the global population appears to have declined rapidly over the last three generations (36 years). The primary drivers of declines are uncertain but could include climatic variation and competition for food from commercial fisheries.

International Names

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Related Articles

They Called It Macaroni

    Yankee Doodle went to town    A-riding on a pony,    Stuck a feather in his cap    And called it macaroni. American fans may recognize these lyrics from the song "Yankee Doodle", a popular tune dating back to the...  Read more »