The only such study was carried out in the 1940's and 50's by Lance Richdale in New Zealand. He monitored a population of Yellow-eyed penguins over a 15 year period. The only other information comes from studies on captive birds. Zoos and aquaria often know how old their birds are when they die. Anyway, zoos reckon birds live 10 to 20 years depending on species, with the larger species generally being longer lived.
Chicks stay with their parents until they have grown a waterproof set of feathers.
For King penguins this can take as much as 15 months, but for most species it is a matter of only 7 to 10 weeks. Yellow-eyed penguins still keep close to their parents while on land even after fledging for at least another year. Most species of penguin may have their breeding colonies a significant distance from the shore. For example, African penguins on Robben Island may nest up to half a mile inland. Fiordland penguins have their nest sites several hundred feet above sea level.