They live in New Zealand and are one of the rarest penguins in the world with only about 5000 - 6000 individuals left. About one quarter of these live in the east coast of the South Island and Stewart Island. The rest live on Campbell and Auckland islands, about 600 km to the South. The Yellow - eyed Penguin is different from other penguins in many aspects of it's biology and is the only penguin species that does not become tame. They originally nested in the coastal forest, but their distribution is now restricted to forest remnants and coastal shrubs after extensive logging during the last 150 years.
Females become sexually mature at two years and males at three years of age.
Both sexes stay fertile until their death and as far as known they breed every year. Each pair holds a large territory around the nest site that is defended very aggressively against intruders. Two eggs are normally laid in the second half of September and both parents share the six week incubation period equally. The chicks start hatching at the beginning of November and the parents will feed them for three and a half months. On fledging in the middle of February, the chicks become independent and are then called juveniles.