Adelie Penguin Pictures

Adelie Penguin

Adelie penguins are petite penguins. They have a bright white belly that contrasts sharply with their black-plumed back, wings and head. Like all penguins, Adelies cannot fly but what they lack in terms of aerial abilities they make up for in terms of charm. Here you can explore a collection of pictures and photographs of these cold-braving, tuxedo-clad birds.

The Adelie penguin is the most familiar of all Antarctic penguin species. The Adelie was named after Adélie d'Urville—the wife of French polar explorer, Dumont d'Urville. Adelies are on average smaller than all other species of penguins.

Adelie Penguin

In early November, female Adelie penguins lay two light-green eggs and the parents take turns incubating the egg and foraging for food in the sea.

Adelie Penguin

The color pattern of Adelie penguins is the classic penguin pattern. Adelies have a bright white belly and chest which contrasts sharply with their black back, wings, and head.

Adelie Penguin

Adelie penguins are easily distinguished by the white rings around their eyes. The plumage of both males and females is similar.

Adelie Penguin

Since the Adelie population is dependent on the abundance of krill in the seas surrounding Antarctica, scientists use these birds as an indicator species to gauge the health of the waters around the earth's southernmost landmass.

Adelie Penguin

Adelie penguins feed mostly on Antarctic krill but also supplement their diet with small fish and cephalopods.

Adelie Penguin

Adelie penguins inhabit rocky coasts, ice floes, and islands along the coastline of Antarctica. They forage in the waters surrounding Antarctica. Their distribution is circumpolar.

Adelie Penguin

The Adelie penguin breeding season begins in early spring and lasts through summer. They lay usually 2 eggs per nest and the eggs take between 24 and 39 days to hatch. The young birds fledge after 28 days on average.

Adelie Penguin

Adelie penguins are known to form large colonies, sometimes consisting of more than 200,000 pairs of birds. They breed on rocky coasts and islands where each mating pair constructs a nest made out of stones.

Adelie Penguin

The Adelie penguin population is considered stable and is perhaps increasing. Birdlife International estimates that there are between 4 and 5 million adult Adelie penguins.

Adelie Penguin

Adelie penguins are belong to the penguin family, a group of birds that includes 17 species of penguins in total.

Adelie Penguin

The Adelie Penguin has a black back and a white belly and white rings around their eyes. Their wings are black on top and white underneath.