# King Penguin (*Aptenodytes patagonicus*)

The king penguin (*Aptenodytes patagonicus*) is a bird of the penguin family, Spheniscidae, in the order Sphenisciformes.

> The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second-largest penguin after the emperor, standing 85–95 cm tall and averaging about 11.8 kg. It breeds on sub-Antarctic islands such as South Georgia, Crozet and Kerguelen, and has bright orange ear patches and an orange flush on the chest. It does not build a nest: parents carry the single egg on their feet. It is listed as Least Concern.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN-style):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Sub-Antarctic islands from Tierra del Fuego and the Falklands to South Georgia, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard and Macquarie islands.
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/king-penguin/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Sphenisciformes
- **Family:** Spheniscidae
- **Genus:** Aptenodytes

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Aptenodytes patagonicus |
| Diet | Mainly lanternfish; also squid |
| Habitat | Beaches and valleys of sub-Antarctic islands |
| Height | 85–95 cm |
| Weight | 9.3–17.3 kg (average about 11.8 kg) |
| Lifespan | Up to 26 years in captivity; wild data limited |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020) |

## King or emperor?

King penguins look like smaller emperor penguins. Kings have brighter, sharply defined orange ear patches that wrap round to the throat, an orange-tinted upper chest and a longer, more slender bill. Emperors are larger, have paler yellow ear patches and breed on Antarctic sea ice, while kings breed on sub-Antarctic islands.

## Eggs on feet

Kings do not build nests. Each pair lays one egg, which the parents take turns to hold on their feet under a fold of skin called the brood patch. Raising a chick takes more than a year, the longest breeding cycle of any penguin, so a pair can raise at most two chicks every three years.

## Where they breed

Colonies are found on Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard and Macquarie islands. Some colonies hold hundreds of thousands of birds. Outside the breeding season they range widely around the Antarctic Polar Front.

## Status

BirdLife International lists the king penguin as Least Concern (2020) with an increasing trend, after recovering from 19th- and early 20th-century hunting for oil. Warming seas that push its lanternfish prey further south are a concern for the future.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between a king penguin and an emperor penguin?

Emperors are bigger and breed on Antarctic sea ice in winter. Kings are smaller, breed on sub-Antarctic islands and have brighter orange ear patches.

### How big is a king penguin?

85–95 cm tall and 9.3–17.3 kg, making it the second-largest penguin.

### Why are baby king penguins brown and fluffy?

King penguin chicks grow thick brown down to survive the sub-Antarctic winter. It is so different from the adults that early explorers thought the chicks were a separate species.

### Where do king penguins live?

On sub-Antarctic islands including South Georgia, the Falklands, Crozet, Kerguelen and Macquarie.

## Sources

- [BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/king-penguin-aptenodytes-patagonicus)
- [Animal Diversity Web: Aptenodytes patagonicus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aptenodytes_patagonicus/)
- Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898
- [Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/)

## Help protect the King Penguin

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/king-penguin/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.