Aptenodytes forsteri
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 100 cm (39 in) in length and weighing from 22 to 45 kg (49 to 99 lb). Feathers of the head and back are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches.
Like all species of penguin, the emperor is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat. Its diet consists primarily of fish, but also includes crustaceans, such as krill, and cephalopods, such as squid. While hunting, the species can remain submerged around 20 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 m (1,755 ft). It has several adaptations to facilitate this, including an unusually structured haemoglobin to allow it to function at low oxygen levels, solid bones to reduce barotrauma, and the ability to reduce its metabolism and shut down non-essential organ functions.
The only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter, emperor penguins trek 50–120 km (31–75 mi) over the ice to breeding colonies which can contain up to several thousand individuals. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated for just over two months by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed; parents subsequently take turns foraging at sea and caring for their chick in the colony. The lifespan of an emperor penguin is typically 20 years in the wild, although observations suggest that some individuals may live as long as 50 years of age.
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands | 🇦🇶 Antarctica |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Everland | 🇰🇷 South Korea | |
| 3 | Chimelong Spaceship | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | SeaWorld San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Zoológico la pastroa | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Macau Zoo | 🇲🇴 Macao SAR China | |
| 7 | Animals Asia | 🇨🇳 China |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Emperor Penguin sighting in Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands on a given day, based on 163 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 29 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Emperor Penguin in Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands on a given day, against under 5% in January to March, the lowest months. April to September have too few records to rate.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Emperor Penguin sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands, in our data
Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Emperor Penguin sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Spheniscidae
The closest relatives of the Emperor Penguin that you can see in Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands (family Spheniscidae, Penguins) are Gentoo Penguin (about 90%), Chinstrap Penguin (about 70%) and Adelie Penguin (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Emperor Penguin is recorded against all the birds logged in Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands (163 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
