Adelie Penguin

Pygoscelis adeliae (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841)

Adelie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, breeds on Antarctic coasts and islands in the Southern Ocean and ranges to the edge of pack-ice when not breeding. It is a penguin of the Antarctic continent and is among the most southerly of all penguins. The species was first described in 1841 by Hombron and Jacquinot. It nests on bare, rocky ground and does not use ice for nesting. Its breeding colonies are spread along the coast, and it is one of only four penguin species that nest on the continent itself.

Order

Sphenisciformes

Family

Spheniscidae — Penguins

Breeding range

Southern Ocean, Antarctica: Antarctic coasts and islands

Nonbreeding range

to edge of pack-ice