At sea they are very difficult to distinguish from Snares penguins.
Chicks have brown grey backs and white fronts.
Height Erect-crested penguins are about 65 cm tall. Weight Erect-crested penguins weight varies by about 1 kg during the year. Estimates of the total breeding population vary widely from 100,000 to 1,000,000 pairs. The most likely population is around 200,000 pairs. Nesting behaviour Nests are simple depressions in the ground lined with some vegetation where available.