The Adelie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) is, together with the Emperor Penguin, one of the only two types of penguin living on the Antarctic mainland. This species is common along the entire Antarctic coast and nearby islands. They are the smallest of the penguins living on the Antarctica continent. These penguins were named after the wife of a French explorer in the 1830s. Find out more!

Adelie penguins are 60 to 70 centimetres long and around 4 kilograms in weight. Distinctive marks are the white ring surrounding the eye and the feathers at the base of the bill. These long feathers hide most of their red bill. Their tails are a little bit longer than other penguins tails.

They are highly dependant on crustaceans, such as krill. Fish and amphipods can also be common foods in certain locations during certain seasons.

Adelie penguins arrive at their breeding grounds in October. Their nests consist of stones piled together. The males summon the females with a low guttural noise followed by a loud cry. A female typically lays two eggs which are brown or green in colour.

In December, the warmest month in Antarctica (about -2°C), the parents alternate periods of incubating the egg. One parent goes to feed and the other stays to warm the egg. The parent who is incubating does not eat. In March, the adults and their young return to the sea.

They have to defend their nests from other penguins who try to steal pebbles, stones, and other nest building materials. Adelie penguins do not drink water but instead, they eat snow. They have a gland in their nose that takes the salt out of the ocean water that they swallow when catching fish and eating fish while in the water.