There are many varieties of penguins, from the largest emperor species which is about four feet tall, to the smallest species which is about one foot tall. The rockhoppers are about two feet tall. These don’t make their homes on big ice fields, but on the cliffs of islands in the Atlantic Ocean near the tip of South America.
They have white bodies, but their heads, backs and flippers are black, with a row of yellow feathers below the scalp and standing out from each side of their heads. Their beaks are pink, matched by short pink legs and webbed feet.
For some reason they avoid sheltered bays and beaches for nest sites and prefer bare shores exposed to the winds or bare areas atop rocky cliffs where the winds are even stronger. Nests are only shallow scrapings in the ground and extremely close together -thousands of them in colonies called rookeries. A colony sometimes makes an awful racket with their sharp shrieks. One visitor said they sounded like thousands of rusty wheelbarrows being pushed too fast.
These odd little fellows swim to more northerly islands as winter draws near. But they are not gone for long. When they return the males go first to claim territories for their nests, and the females arrive two weeks later. Just one egg is laid in the simple nest, and they both take turns incubating it until the little chick breaks out of its shell, a blackish, nearly blind baby. After three weeks the chick can look out for itself while the parents are off getting food for it. It leaves the nest for good when about eight weeks old.
But when the parents are both away, the little ones are particularly exposed to a vicious enemy - a big dark gull called skua. These hang around the colony as continual threats, every once in a while swooping low with head stretched out to snatch up an unguarded egg or exposed chick. Also, just as quick to capture an unattended chick is the giant petrel. It stealthily makes its way into the colony and carries away a victim, accompanied by the shrieks of all nearby rockhoppers, which are unable to do anything about it.
Next week we will take a close look at the adult rockhopper’s activities in the water and learn how it makes its way back home.
Isn’t it nice to know that these odd birds, so far away from people, are always under the watchful eye of their Creator. He has fitted them well for the peculiar kind of life they lead. They are part of His creation, in which He has great pleasure, but His greatest pleasure is in men and women, boys and girls, who have thanked Him for that loving and gracious care and know Him as their Saviour.
(to be continued)
ML-06/20/1993