Snares Penguin

Snares penguin, (Eudyptes robustus), also called Snares Island penguin or Snares crested penguin, species of crested penguin (genus Eudyptes, order Sphenisciformes) characterized by plumes of yellow feathers that run above each eye (the superciliary stripe) and extend from the base of the bird’s cone-shaped bill to the back of the head. Compared with those of other species in the genus, the tips of these plumes are longer and droop off the back of the head. The species is named for the Snares Islands, the group of rocky islets it inhabits in the Southern Ocean near New Zealand. Although breeding populations are limited to the Snares Islands, migrating individuals have traveled as far as Australia and the Falkland Islands. Snares penguins are often confused with Fiordland penguins (E. pachyrhynchus) and erect-crested penguins (E. sclateri).