KiwiNewZ

Hoiho - Yellow Eyed Penguin

There are some 17 different species of penguins in the world (all in the southern hemisphere) but there is one very unique to New Zealand - the yellow-eyed penguin.

Living in coastal forest in temperate New Zealand rather than perched on ice-flows in the Antarctic this is indeed a rather peculiar bird. It is the rarest penguin in the world numbering around 4,000 with the majority on the sub-antartic islands of New Zealand but over 600 pairs are on the mainland of New Zealand on the south-eastern coast.

Over the years of forest clearing and predator introduction the numbers have dropped significantly and only a concerted conservation effort backed by tourism interests have saved the Yellow Eyed Penguin in New Zealand. Just 30 minutes from Dunedin, New Zealand's 4th largest city you can walk amongst these birds in their nesting area without disturbing them. Also along the Catlins Coast there are colonies and they can be observed waddling about in various spots.

During winter the penguins feed up before they go in to the breeding cycle which sees the chicks hatch around October / November. The best times to see them on the beaches is when they are coming and going fishing each day at dawn and dusk.

The Maori name for the Yellow Eyed Penguin is 'Hoiho' which translates to noise shouter - which soon becomes obvious when they screech out on arriving to shore.

And if you're interested in a wildlife tour in this part of the world or want to know more about the Hoiho email Ralph, our Penguin expert.