Fiordland Crested Penguins return to Milford Sound

Fiordland Crested Penguins

Media Release 10 August 2007
For immediate use

Spring has sprung (almost):
Fiordland Crested Penguins return to Milford Sound

[Spring is] when life's alive in everything.
Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)

The rare Fiordland Crested Penguins are returning to Milford Sound, which means winter is definitely on its way out.

Real Journeys nature guide Richard Heyward says the birds have been arriving in their ones and twos since mid-July. “They turn up about the same time every year – with most coming back in August. It’s a sure sign that spring is on its way.”

Fiordland Crested Penguins come to Milford Sound annually to nest and raise their chicks. “We’ve seen them at several sites along the shoreline as they head up into the forest to select their nest sites. They like to build their nests in the holes under the rocks.”

Known as Groucho Marx Penguins because of their distinctive bushy eyebrows, Fiordland Crested Penguins are one of the world’s rarest penguins. There are only about 2500 breeding pairs left.

The main known land predator of Fiordland Crested Penguins is stoats, which take both adults and chicks – particularly during the nesting period. Real Journeys maintains a line of stoat traps in Milford Sound, with additional traps close to nesting sites.

“The nests are pretty vulnerable and we want to do all we can to ensure the survival of this unique species in Milford Sound,” Mr Heyward says.

Real Journeys is a locally owned and operated tourism operator providing both daytime and overnight cruises in Milford Sound

ENDS

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