The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) is a species of penguin common along the

entire Antarctic coast, which is their only residence. They are the most widely spread penguin
species,[2] and also among the most southerly distributed of all seabirds, along with
the emperor penguin, the south polar skua, Wilson's storm petrel, the snow petrel, and
the Antarctic petrel. They are named after Adélie Land, in turn named for Adèle Dumont
d'Urville, the wife of French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, who discovered these penguins
in 1840.[3] They obtain their food by both predation and foraging, with a diet of
mainly krill and fish.

The Adélie penguin is one of three species in the

genus Pygoscelis. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evidence suggests the genus split from
other penguins around 38 million years ago, about 2 million years after the ancestors of the
genus Aptenodytes. In turn, the Adélie penguins split off from the other members of the genus
around 19 million years ago.

These penguins are mid-sized, being 46 to 71 cm (18 to 28 in) in height and 3.6 to 6.0 kg (7.9
to 13.2 lb) in weight.[5][6] Distinctive marks are the white ring surrounding the eye and the
feathers at the base of the bill. These long feathers hide most of the red bill. The tail is a little
longer than other penguins' tails. The appearance looks somewhat like a tuxedo. They are a
little smaller than other penguin species.
Adélie penguins usually swim at around 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h).[7]
Adélie penguins are preyed on by leopard seals, giant petrels, skuas, and occasionally, killer
whales.

Based on a 2014 analysis of fresh guano-discolored coastal areas, 3.79 million breeding pairs
of Adélie penguins are in 251 breeding colonies,[8] a 53% increase over a census completed
20 years earlier. The colonies are distributed around the coastline of the Antarctic land and
ocean. Colonies have declined on the Antarctic Peninsula, but those declines have been more
than offset by increases in East Antarctica. During the breeding season, they congregate in
large breeding colonies, some over a quarter of a million pairs.[9] Individual colonies can
vary dramatically in size, and some may be particularly vulnerable to climate fluctuations.
[10] The Danger Islands have been identified as an "important bird area" by BirdLife
International largely because it supports Adélie penguin colonies,[11] with 751,527 pairs
recorded in at least five distinct colonies. In March 2018, a colony of 1.5 million was
discovered.[12][13]
Adélie penguins breed from October to February on shores around the Antarctic continent.
Adélies build rough nests of stones. Two eggs are laid; these are incubated for 32 to 34 days
by the parents taking turns (shifts typically last for 12 days). The chicks remain in the nest for
22 days before joining crèches. The chicks moult into their juvenile plumage and go out to sea
after 50 to 60 days.