 the snares penguin (eudyptes robustus), also known as the snares crested penguin and the snares islands penguin, is a penguin from new zealand. the species breeds on the snares, a group of islands off the southern coast of the south island. this is a medium-small, yellow-crested penguin, at a size of 50â70&nbsp;cm (20â28&nbsp;in) and a weight of 2.5â4&nbsp;kg (5.5-8.8&nbsp;lbs). it has dark blue-black upperparts and white underparts. it has a bright yellow eyebrow-stripe which extends over the eye to form a drooping, bushy crest. it has bare pink skin at the base of its large red-brown bill. this penguin nests in small (10 nests) to large (1200 nests) colonies under forest cover or the open. the main colonies are located on north east island, other colonies are established on broughton island as well as the rocky western chain. the snares penguin's main prey is krill, supplemented by squid and small fish. the species is currently rated as vulnerable by the iucn as its breeding range is restricted to one small island group. the current population is estimated at around 25,000 breeding pairs. == nomenclature == snares penguins were originally collected in 1874 and named atrata by frederick wollaston hutton. however, hutton lost his sample at sea, whilst drawing the bird with the assistance of penguin enthusiast emile campbell-browne, before a full speciation could be identified. a description written by hutton and an illustration done by keulemans in bullerâs a history of the birds of new zealand are evidence that this is the same penguin previously identified by hutton. however, there is some debate over the classification of this penguin, and oliver was able to successfully propose that a few slight anatomical differences did exist between the snares penguins and the early description and illustration, leading the snares penguin to be called robustus instead of atratus.warham, john. "the breeding biology and behavior of the snares crested penguin." journal of the royal society of new zealand 4.1 (1974): 63-108. google books. web. 16 apr. 2011. == description == the snares penguin is often
Animals_described_in_1953 Birds_of_Australia Birds_of_New_Zealand Eudyptes Flightless_birds IUCN_Red_List_vulnerable_species Penguins Snares_Islands_/_Tini_Heke Vulnerable_fauna_of_Australia