NL·0704Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Pygoscelis papua
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Native to
- Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands
- Habitat
- Antarctic coast, Sub-Antarctic island, Marine
On eBird ↗
Gentoo Penguin
Live sightings near you, the range map, bar charts of when it is seen, and Macaulay Library photos and recordings.
Gentoo penguin
Pygoscelis papua
Also calledManchot papou (French) · Pingüino papúa (Spanish)
The fastest-swimming penguin, with a white bonnet stripe and a bright orange bill. Its population has grown and spread south on the Antarctic Peninsula as sea ice declines.
The gentoo penguin is a penguin species in the genus Pygoscelis, most closely related to the Adélie penguin and the chinstrap penguin. The earliest scientific description was made in 1781 by Johann Reinhold Forster with a type locality in the Falkland Islands. The species calls in a variety of ways, but the most frequently heard is a loud, trumpeting call, emitted with the head thrown back. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iSwims at up to about 36 km/h, the fastest of any penguin
- iiDives to around 200 m
- iiiBuilds nests from stones and moss
In the field
Field marks
- aBright orange-red bill
- bBroad white stripe over the head
- cLong, stiff tail
- dOrange feet
- Voice
- Loud, trumpeting braying.
- Not to be confused with
- Adélie has an all-black head and short bill. Chinstrap has a black chin strap.
- Where to see it
- Port Lockroy (Antarctic Peninsula), Falklands, South Georgia
- When
- Present year-round at most colonies
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Life & habits
- Diet
- Krill, fish and squid
- Habitat
- Coastal ice-free plains and beaches
- Size
- 70–90 cm; 5–8 kg
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years
Pairs build stone nests and may give pebbles as gifts.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
No plate in the Source Library names this exact species, so these show its closest relatives as the old naturalists drew them: same genus, or the same kind of animal. Click a plate to read the page it came from, with translation.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Pygoscelis papua in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
The name 'gentoo' may come from an Anglo-Indian word for Hindu, but its origin is uncertain.
Curiosity
A 2020 genetic study proposed splitting the gentoo into four species across its range; most checklists still treat it as one.
Kinship
Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 3808.