Their feathers on their bellies are white and the feathers on their bodies are black or bluish black. Some penguins have crests of long feathers on the sides of their heads and patches of brightly colored feathers on their necks. These flippers and webbed feet make penguins great swimmers and divers. Their short, dense feathers form a waterproof coat. Thick layers of fat keep penguins warm in the cold water.
Penguins eat fish.
They spend much of their lives in water, but lay eggs and raise their young on land. They make their nest in enormous colonies called rookeries . One rookery may have as many as a million penguins. Most species make their nests on bare ground or in the grass. They scrape shallow hollows in the dirt and lay their eggs.