They are birds, but they don't fly. They walk on land and are very good swimmers. They live in colonies of 6,000 to 40,000 birds together. The live together for warmth and protection. King penguins show little fear of people.
Many penguins are curious and even walk up to people.
This maybe because they are nearsighted. Some penguins can dive 900 feet under water and stay twenty minutes. They jump in and out of the water as they swim long distances. King penguins have a large oil gland near their tail. They use their face and bill to spread the oil over their feathers.