Back Koningpikkewyn Afrikaans بطريق ملك Arabic بطريق ملك ARZ Aptenodytes patagonicus AST Kral pinqvini Azerbaijani Каралеўскі пінгвін Byelorussian Кралски пингвин Bulgarian রাজপেঙ্গুইন Bengali/Bangla Mank roueel Breton Pingüí reial Catalan
| King penguin | |
|---|---|
%E2%80%93King_penguin_(Aptenodytes_patagonicus)_04.jpg)
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| King penguin Fortuna Bay, South Georgia | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Family: | Spheniscidae |
| Genus: | Aptenodytes |
| Species: | A. patagonicus
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| Binomial name | |
| Aptenodytes patagonicus Miller, JF, 1778
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| Red: Aptenodytes patagonicus patagonicus Yellow: Aptenodytes patagonicus halli | |
The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin, smaller, but somewhat similar in appearance to the emperor penguin. There are two subspecies, A. p. patagonicus and A. p. halli; patagonicus is found in the South Atlantic and halli in the South Indian Ocean (at the Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Island, Prince Edward Islands, and Heard Island and McDonald Islands) and at Macquarie Island.[1]
King penguins mainly eat lanternfish, squid, and krill. On foraging trips, king penguins repeatedly dive to over 100 metres (300 ft), and have been recorded at depths greater than 300 metres (1,000 ft).[2] Predators of the king penguin include giant petrels, skuas, the snowy sheathbill, the leopard seal, and the orca.
The king penguin breeds on the Subantarctic islands at the northern reaches of Antarctica, South Georgia, southern Argentina, and other temperate islands of the region. It also lives on Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean.
This bird was exploited commercially in the past for its blubber, oil, meat, and feathers. Today, it is fully protected.
- ^ a b BirdLife International (2020). "Aptenodytes patagonicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22697748A184637776. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22697748A184637776.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Culik, B. M; K. PÜTZ; R. P. Wilson; D. Allers; J. LAGE; C. A. BOST; Y. LE MAHO (January 1996). "Diving Energetics in King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus)" (PDF). Journal of Experimental Biology. 199 (4): 973–983. doi:10.1242/jeb.199.4.973. PMID 8788090.