Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
Silhouette: Alexandre Vong · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Fiordland penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus), also known as the Fiordland crested penguin (in Māori, tawaki), is a crested penguin species endemic to New Zealand. It currently breeds along the south-western coasts of New Zealand's South Island as well as on Stewart Island/Rakiura and its outlying islands. Because it originally ranged beyond Fiordland, it is sometimes referred to as the New Zealand crested penguin. It is occasionally found in Australia.
The Fiordland crested penguin was described in 1845 by English zoologist George Robert Gray, its specific epithet derived from the Ancient Greek pachy-/παχυ- "thick" and rhynchos/ρύγχος "beak". It is one of the four to seven species in the genus Eudyptes, the generic name derived from the Ancient Greek eu/ευ "good" and dyptes/δύπτης "diver".
This species is a medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, growing to approximately 55 cm (22 in) long and weighing on average 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), with a weight range of 2 to 5 kg (4.4 to 11.0 lb). The face possesses white markings and the front is white while the head and body are black. Its broad, yellow crest begins at the base of the beak and extends... Wikipedia →
Recording0:30
New Zealand · 2021
© Beth Wishart · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisbon Oceanarium | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 2 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Fiordland Penguin sighting in Rakiura National Park on a given day, based on 351 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 38th most-seen of the 80 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Fiordland Penguin in Rakiura National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April and June–July, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fiordland Penguin sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Fiordland Penguin sightings, Rakiura National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Fiordland National Park (New Zealand, about 10%).
Same family: Spheniscidae
The closest relatives of the Fiordland Penguin that you can see in Rakiura National Park (family Spheniscidae, Penguins) are Little Penguin (about 30%) and Yellow-eyed Penguin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fiordland Penguin is recorded against all the birds logged in Rakiura National Park (351 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.
