Little Penguin Parade in Tasmania

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Video: Tasmania - The Parade of Little Penguins

At dawn at a beach in George Town

Penguin after penguin tumbles out of the surf in a red light of a torch. They pick oneself up and check anxiously the beach. The scene is set in Low Head a small village near George Town in Northern Tasmania. Every day after dawn hundreds of Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) come ashore at a bay under the lighthouse. Little Penguins live along the whole southern coastline of Australia, as well as in Tasmania and New Zealand.

There are 18 different species of penguins in the world; the Little Penguin is the smallest. The species grow up to 35 to 40 cm. The weight is about one kilo. The Little Penguin is also known as Fairy Penguin, Blue Penguin and Little Blue Penguin. The birds spend most of the day at sea to catch fish. Little Penguins need 25% of their bodyweight on food every day. They come ashore every night for resting or feed their offspring.

The parade of little penguins

Low Head Penguin Tours operates guided tours to the penguin colony every night. Shirley the tour guide explains everything about the species. I and another seven tourists try to catch a few impressions with our cameras. The Little Penguins gather in a small group behind a rock for shelter. That is a usual habit before they start their “march” across the beach towards their burrows. Penguins are a bit clumsy when ashore and they are easy prey for predators. They have to be afraid of big birds like seagulls and sea eagles, but also humans with pet dogs can be a danger.
At sea, the Little Penguin has to beware of seals, sea lions and sharks. These predators prefer to wait in the shallow waters near the beach and catch the penguins when they come ashore. The Fairy Penguin feels save in a group and all of a sudden the whole lot runs across the beach. The penguin parade is on.

The spectators get much exited. Some ladies can’t get over it. They beep and giggle; you can hear comments like “Isn’t that cute”. Yes, it looks quite funny when Little Penguins waddle across the beach, a bit stiff and clumsy, always trying hard to keep the balance. No one wants to be left behind. At times a penguin falls over - gets up in a second - puts in a burst of speed to catch up with the group. At the end of the beach the whole lot speeds up to get as soon as possible into the scrub for shelter.

Approximately 800 Little Penguins live in colony at Low Head. We follow Shirley carefully to the edge of the colony. A beeping baby penguin is waiting impatiently for food. Eventually the parents turn up and the wildly begging offspring gets its meal. We can observe the feeding from a two metre distance. There will be more arrivals of Little Penguins at the colony until midnight. They go to back to the Tasman Sea before sunrise.

Little Penguins are native to some more locations in Australia. The most popular one is the penguin parade on Phillip Island in Victoria. Check out the list below for more places.

Find your parade of penguins in Australia

	New South Wales: Bowen Island
	New South Wales: Montague Island
	South Australia: Granite Island
	South Australia: Kangaroo Island, Kingscote
	South Australia: Kangaroo Island, Penneshaw
	Tasmania: Bicheno
	Tasmania: Brunny Island
	Tasmania: King Island
	Tasmania: Lillico Beach (nahe Devonport)
	Tasmania: Low Head (near George Town)
	Tasmania: Penguin (the town is named after the penguin)
	Victoria: Phillip Island
	Victoria: Melbourne, St.Kilda

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Little Penguin

Facts of the little penguin in review

Latin name: Eudyptula minor (means little diver)
Other names: Little Penguin, Fairy Penguin, Blue Penguin, Little Blue Penguin
Size: Approx. 35 to 40 cm (13.8 to 15.7 inches) males are usually a bit taller than females
Weight: Approx. 1 Kilo
Habitat: The whole southern coastline of Australia. In the east as far as Sydney and in the west as far as Freemantle. Little Penguins live also in Tasmania and in New Zealand. Only 5% of Tasmania's penguin population live on the mainland, the rest have their habitat on numerous islands around Tasmania. The Little Penguin lives in big colonies where they have caves 60 to 80 cm (approx. 23.6 to 31.5 inches) deep.
Daily life: The Little Penguins stay the whole day at sea to search for food. They go back to the colony for resting after dawn. The bird does a barking sound when coming ashore. The colony is also the place for breeding and moulting. Little Penguins need to put on weight after breeding time to survive the moulting period of two weeks. Social contact in a group is also important. Little Penguins go back to sea before sunrise. Sometimes the species stays for several days in the ocean where they can sleep.
Attributes: The Little Penguin has extremely good eyes and a very good sense of hearing. The species is perfectly adapted to a life at sea. Their body is streamlined, that gives you the imagination that the penguins fly through the water.
Feathers: The feathers are absolutely watertight and 3 to 4 times more dense in comparison to a flying bird. The penguin has about 10000 feathers, it is also a good camouflage. The back is dark coloured so it is difficult to see the penguin from above the water. The silver coloured breast feathers give good camouflage when predators look from below against the sparkling water surface.
Diving: In average between 10 and 30 metres, the record is 57 metres.
Lifespan: Usually 7 years, in exception a Little Penguin can become 20 years old.
Breeding: 33 to 37 days, male and female share the breeding activities. They lay two eggs. Hatching is a long process; it can take up to three days. 60% of the eggs hatch successfully.
Weight of offspring after hatching: 25 Gram, after 40 days the baby is heavier than its parents.
Food: Small fish, for example: squid, pilchards and small crustaceans.
Predators: Sharks, sea lions, seals, white-bellied sea eagle, big seagulls, foxes, snakes, Tasmanian devil, wild cats, dogs, sometimes humans (unfortunately)

The lighthouse of Low Head in Tasmania

Beach at Low Head in Tasmania at daytime

Beach at Low Head in Tasmania during daytime