Which penguin species gets its name from the “macaroni” fashion of 18th-century Britain?

The macaroni penguin gets its name from the “macaroni” fashion of 18th-century Britain.

Young British men who adopted exaggerated continental clothing and hairstyles were called macaronis. The penguin’s conspicuous yellow-orange crest reminded English sailors of that fashionable style, producing the common name.

Macaroni penguins are large crested penguins found around the subantarctic and Antarctic regions. Their breeding range includes islands such as South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and the Crozet Islands. They feed mainly on krill and small fish or squid.

The macaroni penguin is sometimes confused with the royal penguin because both have yellow crest feathers and white faces. Their ranges and facial patterns differ, and the macaroni penguin generally has a darker face. “Macaroni” refers to the bird’s appearance, not its diet.