# Macaroni penguin (*Eudyptes chrysolophus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/macaroni-penguin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The macaroni penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus) is a bird in the penguin family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 4.5 kg and a wingspan of 70 cm. This marine, aquatic carnivore is an aquatic predator and is partially migratory. It lays 2 eggs in 1 clutch per year, incubates them for 36.5 days, and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4.39 kg – 4.99 kg |
| Length | 70 cm |
| Wingspan | 70 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 36.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Age at maturity | 4.97 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Sphenisciformes
- family: Spheniscidae
- genus: Eudyptes
- species: *Eudyptes chrysolophus* (J. F. Brandt, 1837)

Synonyms: *Catarhactes chrysolophus*, *Catarrhactes chrysolophus*, *Eudyptes chrysolophus chrysolophus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the macaroni penguin?

The macaroni penguin is a bird, a penguin in the family Spheniscidae and the genus Eudyptes.

### How heavy is a macaroni penguin?

An adult Macaroni penguin weighs 4.5 kg, with reported values from 4.4 to 5.0 kg.

### What does the macaroni penguin eat?

The macaroni penguin is a carnivore and an aquatic predator.

### Is the macaroni penguin endangered?

The macaroni penguin is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How many eggs does the macaroni penguin lay?

The macaroni penguin lays 2 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year, with an incubation period of 36.5 days.

### Does the macaroni penguin migrate?

Yes, the macaroni penguin is partially migratory.

### Who named the macaroni penguin?

The macaroni penguin, Eudyptes chrysolophus, was named by (J. F. Brandt, 1837).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Macaroni penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/macaroni-penguin