The gentoo penguin has a red-orange bill and a white stripe above each eye that joins across the top of its head.
That broad white head marking is one of the easiest ways to identify the species. Gentoos also have a black back, white underside, orange-red feet, and a relatively long tail. Their colouring follows the basic penguin counter-shading pattern: dark above and light below, which helps camouflage them in the ocean.
Gentoo penguins breed on the Antarctic Peninsula and on many sub-Antarctic islands. They build nests from stones, and pairs may compete for useful rocks in crowded colonies. Breeding timing varies with latitude, but colonies generally raise chicks during the local summer.
The white head stripe separates gentoos from chinstrap penguins, which have a narrow black band beneath the chin. Adélie penguins lack both of these markings and have a mostly white face with a conspicuous white ring around the eye.