Little Penguin
Eudyptula minor
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderSphenisciformes (Penguins)
- FamilySpheniscidae (Penguins)
- GenusEudyptula (Little Penguins)
- SpeciesEudyptula minor (Little Penguin)
The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) is the smallest species of penguin in the world, and originates from New Zealand and Australia. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage, and is also known by its Māori name kororā. It is a marine neritic species that dives for food throughout the day and returns to burrows on the shore at dusk. Eudyptula minor feathers are dense in melanosomes, which increase water resistance and give them their unique blue colour. The Australian little penguin (Eudyptula novaehollandiae), from Australia and the Otago region of New Zealand, was initially described as Spheniscus novaehollandiae in 1826 but was later classified as Eudyptula minor novaehollandiae, a subspecies of the little penguin. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Penguin sighting in Abel Tasman National Park, based on 18 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Abel Tasman National Park
📅 Monthly Probability
🌅 When They're Spotted
Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Little Penguin in Abel Tasman National Park?
About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Little Penguin sighting in Abel Tasman National Park, based on 18 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Little Penguin in Abel Tasman National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Little Penguin in Abel Tasman National Park in our monthly data.