Meet the manu in Taharaki Skyside
Learn more about the native manu behind Fiona Pardington’s Taharaki Skyside. Each is unique, culturally and environmentally important, and many need our protection.
Tawaki
Tawaki | Fiordland crested penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus)
Tawaki, Fiordland crested penguin, (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) by Jake Osborne, CC BY NC SA 2.0 via Flickr
Call
Listen to the calls on NZ Birds Online
Where is home?
In hollows and crevices in forests, coastal bush, and sea caves.
How are they doing?
Conservation status: At Risk – Declining
Vulnerable to fisheries bycatch (net entanglement), introduced predators, climate changes, and human disturbance.
What are they known for?
Known as ‘jungle penguins’ because no other penguin species on earth breeds in rainforests!
Most birds shed feathers gradually, but crested penguins moult all of their feathers at once (called a ‘catastrophic moult’) every year. They look quite scruffy during this time, and are very vulnerable to predation.
Tawaki have the longest known migration of any penguin. Tracking data has shown them to travel as far as half way between Antarctica and Australia. During these journeys of thousands of kilometres, they sleep on the waves and use the rich fishing grounds to fatten up for breeding and moulting.
Tawaki connections
The tawaki may have been named after a tipuna in a pūrākau who revealed his supernatural abilities by grabbing lightning and adorning his head with it. Some say that the tawaki is named for the lightning-like crest on its brow.
Kia kitea akeDiscover more
Browse taonga tawaki on Collections Online
Tawaki or Fiordland crested penguins are endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand, breeding in small colonies on inaccessible headlands and islets along the shores of south-western South Island and Stewart Island, laying its eggs in coastal forests. Walking from the beach to its nest can be risky – stoats and dogs sometimes attack. Flying birds have light, hollow bones, but penguins have solid bones, which help them dive and stay underwater.
The tawaki on NZ Birds Online
The tawaki or Fiordland crested penguin, is a tall, portly crested penguin with dark head and upperparts, and white underparts. A broad yellow crest runs above the eye, the large orange bill has a thin strip of black skin at the base, the eyes are brownish-red, and the legs and feet are pinkish-white. They can be seen and heard on landing beaches from July to December.
This link will take you to NZ Birds Online website.