New Zealand mountain penguin

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Order: Penguins (Spheniciformes)
Family: Penguins (Sphenicidae)
Habitat: New Zealand, rivers and mountain lakes.
Change of epoch is negatively reflected in sea fauna and species of large animals connected to it. The plankton – the basis of food chains of ocean, and also community where various sea inhabitants spend a part of life – is very sensitive to natural accidents. During changes in climate and geography of planet its amount reduces sharply, that results in mass extinction of sea fauna. Such situation had taken place at the boundary of Holocene and Neocene when the rigorous and long ice age had changed shape and climate of planet for a long time. Numerous species of sea animals had died out, but some ones managed to survive, having “hidden” in fresh waters.
Among freshwater “fugitives” from plankton accident there were basically various species of fishes and at islands of New Zealand the relic species of penguins had lodged – it is one of last species in varied and ancient by origin order. The New Zealand mountain penguin had kept in fresh waters of New Zealand, isolated from typical oceanic fauna. It had adapted to life in cool lakes and rapid rivers of islands, eating the various animals living in them. Less productive, but more stable ecosystems had permitted to these birds to survive.
Island isolation and scarcity of food resources had an effect at appearance of the mountain penguin: it has strongly decreased in size, having turned to the bird about 20 cm tall. Instead of the strict black-and-white attire this bird had got spotty gray-brown coloring of back – it is easier to the mountain penguin to mask among a non-uniform landscape of the new native land. Stomach is white with black cross strip on throat. Strong and muscled fin-like wings now help not only at swimming, but also at movement on land. On the edge of wing feathers had turned to flat corneous spikes similar to nails. They help mobile and dexterous bird to climb on stones and to rake pebble in searches of invertebrates. Sometimes New Zealand mountain penguin even escapes from predators, climbing on trees with inclined enough trunk. Thus it clings against bark by paws and wings.
Shining red beak arrests attention like bright spot on dim background of this penguin feathering. Besides for it the bird has narrow rings of naked skin around of eyes. In their colouring the sexual dimorphism is shown: at males “glasses” are pink, at females – grey. Beak of the mountain penguin is short and thick. In maxilla two short sharp tooth-like outgrowths jut out. They are using for killing of small vertebrates containing the food of this bird.
New Zealand mountain penguin catch fish in lakes and rivers of islands, and besides it eats water invertebrates – crayfishes and snails. As against sea congeners of Holocene epoch, this bird had expanded a diet and eats also ground animals – on land mountain penguin pecks insects, snails and small vertebrates (lizards, rodents).
Similarly to all representatives of the family, New Zealand mountain penguin nests in colonies. The size of colony depends on efficiency of habitats: near big lakes number of colony can reach hundreds of individuals, near big rivers up to several tens, and near small wood streams this bird nests in settlements numbering only few breeding pairs. If fodder resources of habitats are exhausted, birds having no nests can abandon the colony and search for new places for life. They are able to survive in wood or to overcome watersheds in searches of new place for life.
This penguin arranges nests in holes which it digs independently in river coast, under protection of large stones and roots of trees. In each hole with long common “corridor” some pairs of adult birds occupying separate nesting chambers nest. Pairs at this species keep till all life. Nesting partners pay attention to each other, in common equip the nesting hole and protect it from competitors.
New Zealand mountain penguins nest once a year, in summer. In clutch there are 2 – 3 large white eggs, both parents hatch them alternately within 18 days. Eggs are laid in small hole serving as the nest, without any litter. Nestlings hatch rather advanced, with opened eyes, covered with rich black down. Beak at them is also black: it will gradually change color when the bird becomes adult. Till first weeks of life nestlings sit in the nesting chamber; growing up, they leave it and wait for parents on ground surface. At danger nestlings and adult birds hide in hole and actively protect themselves from enemies, biting.
Young birds become able to breeding at four-year-old age, and general life expectancy makes till 25 years.