Which penguin species endemic to New Zealand has distinctive yellow eyes and is endangered?

The endangered New Zealand penguin with distinctive yellow eyes is the yellow-eyed penguin, also called hoiho.

Its scientific name is Megadyptes antipodes, and it is the only living species in its genus. A pale yellow band surrounds its eyes and extends around the back of its head, making adults easy to distinguish from little penguins, king penguins, and emperor penguins. Juveniles have duller colouring and lack the adult’s prominent yellow band.

Yellow-eyed penguins breed on New Zealand’s South Island, Stewart Island, and the subantarctic Auckland and Campbell Islands. They are unusually solitary for penguins, often nesting in dense coastal vegetation rather than in large, noisy colonies. They mainly eat fish and spend much of their time at sea.

The species is listed as endangered. Mainland numbers have fallen sharply because of poor food availability, fishing interactions, disease, predation, and changing ocean conditions. A notable historical twist is that genetic research suggests mainland birds colonised New Zealand relatively recently, replacing the extinct Waitaha penguin, which disappeared around 1300–1500.