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The Fiordland Crested Penguin, Eudyptes pachyrhynchus, also known as Tawaki (Maori), is a species of crested penguin.
It breeds along the Fiordland coast and its outlying islands as well as on Stewart Island/Rakiura.

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Also known as the Fiordland Crested Penguin, the Fiordland Penguin was described in 1845 by English zoologist George
Robert Gray, its specific epithet derived from the Ancient Greek pachy- 'thick' and rhynchos -'beak'.
It is one of six species in the genus Eudyptes, the generic name derived from the Ancient Greek eu 'good' and dyptes 'diver'


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They are medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguins, growing to approximately 60 cm (24 in) long and
weighing about 3.7 kg (8.2 lbs). It has dark, bluish-grey upperparts with a darker head, and white underparts.
It has a broad, yellow eyebrow-stripe which extends over the eye and drops down the neck.
Most birds have 3-6 whitish stripes on the face.


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The main prey species reported for Fiordland penguins are cephalopods (85%, mainly Arrow squid, Nototodarus sloanii),
followed by crustaceans (13%, primarily Krill, Nyctiphanes australis) and fish (2%, mainly Red Cod and Hoki).
However, the importance of cephalopods might be exaggerated.


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The current status of this penguin is vulnerable due to its small population. Current population estimates range between
2,500-3,000 pairs and is thought to have declined since the late 1980s by around 33%. It is under threat from introduced
predators including dogs, cats, stoats and rats.

This penguin nests in colonies in dense temperate forest. It breeds along the Fiordland coast and its outlying islands as well
as on Stewart Island/Rakiura.


Group of Fiordland crested penguins walking through forest habitat
BBC Natural History Unit
http://www.arkive.org/fiordland-crested-penguin/eudyptes-pac

Fiordland National Park is located in the southwest corner of the South Island in New Zealand.
It is the largest of the 14 national parks that currently exist in New Zealand with an area of 12,500 km ².
Fiordland coast is rugged, with fjords spread through the valleys of the Southern Alps,
such as the hills and mountains Kepler Murchison.
In the northern region of the park there are several peaks some of which exceed 2,000 m.
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Text on this page mainly from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiordland_Penguin