Eight species of penguins make their home among the islands near New Zealand and Australia. Three species inhabit the coast of South America, and one lives near southern Africa. Six species live far south, in the icy waters near Antarctica. Penguins seldom visit land except to raise their young. They make their nests in enormous gatherings called colonies.
Most colonies occur on islands.
Some lie in coastal areas, but only where there are no land mammals that might eat the penguin chicks or eggs. A penguin colony can have thousands of members. The colonies are noisy because the birds often call to one another with a braying sound like donkeys. Penguins recognize each other mostly by their voice. Most penguins make their nests by digging shallow burrows under large rocks or bushes.