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Adelie Penguin

Birds

The Adelie penguin is a species of penguin found along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent, the most widespread penguin species in the Antarctic and, together with the emperor penguin, the most southerly distributed of all penguins. It is named for Adelie Land, itself named for Adele Dumont d'Urville, wife of the French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, who first discovered the species in 1840. Adelie penguins obtain food through both predation and foraging, feeding mainly on krill and fish.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Piscivore 2
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 3
System (Realm)
Marine 3
Relationship to People
Hunted or Fished 4
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status.
Scientific Name
Pygoscelis adeliae 1
Conservation Status
Least Concern 1
Population Estimate
10,000,000 1
The cited source gives this as a lower bound (more than 10 million), for mature individuals only, as of 2020.
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
The adult is black on the head, throat and upper parts, with snowy white underparts. 1
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 4
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Sphenisciformes, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life

In Biome

Ice Sheet, Biomes
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Pygoscelis adeliae (Animal Diversity Web)
Marine, Biomes
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Pygoscelis adeliae (Animal Diversity Web)

In Ecosystem

Antarctic Peninsula, Ecosystems
Source World Wildlife Fund
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Antarctica

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

New Zealand

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Norway

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Adelie Penguin (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead sentence
    (Pygoscelis adeliae) is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent.
  • Status section
    is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be a species of least concern.
  • Description section
    The adult is black on the head, throat and upper parts, with snowy white underparts.
  • Status section (status sentence)
    is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be a species of least concern.
  • Status section (population sentence)
    estimated at more than 10 million mature individuals in 2020
View the Source
2. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
3. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
4. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Pygoscelis adeliae (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
  • Conservation Status: CITES
    CITES No special status
  • Economic Importance for Humans: Positive (hunted-fished)
    From the eighteenth to the early twentieth century these penguins were used for food, oil, and bait
  • In Biome: Ice Sheet, Terrestrial Biomes
    Terrestrial Biomes icecap
  • In Biome: Marine, Habitat Regions
    Habitat Regions polar polar terrestrial terrestrial saltwater or marine saltwater or marine
View the Source
Wikidata: Adelie Penguin
Wikidata Q187958, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: SphenisciformesView the Source
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife FundIn Ecosystem: Antarctic PeninsulaView the Source
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