Females are usually smaller than males. Breeding locations Macaroni penguins breed on sub-Antarctic Islands south of the Americas and Africa. Large populations can be found on South Georgia, Crozet Island, Kerguelen Island, Heard Island and McDonald Island. Macaroni penguin nests are rudimentary scrapes in mud or gravel among rocks. Two eggs are laid with only one chick usually being reared.
Incubation is shared by both parents in long shifts.
Eggs hatch after 33 to 37 days. The male broods and guards the chicks for 23 to 25 days while the female brings food daily. Chicks then form small creches and are fed every 1 or 2 days until they are ready to leave to go to sea at about 60 to 70 days old. Bibliography Penguins John Sparks and Tony Soper, Facts on File Publications, Oxford, 1987. Penguins of the World Pauline Reilly, OUP, Oxford, 1994.