The gorfou gilded , or gorfou macaroni , is a Manchot, living close to the Antarctic. He saw mainly fishing and has a tuft of yellow feathers characteristic on each side of the head. It is the most abundant penguin in the world, with a population reaching the 11 million couples.

Description

The gorfou gilded measurement approximately 70 cm (with a margin of more or less 5 cm). Its weight varies between 4 and 6 kg. Among the gorfous, it is largest. Its plumage is black on the back and white on the belly. It carries long yellow and black feathers leaving to the back its head, out of ears. It should not be confused with the jumping Gorfou. The female is generally smaller, but has an identical plumage. The immature ones resemble their parents without the feathers of the ear head.

Habitat

On this chart appears in red the zones where gilded Gorfou saw, and in green zones of nesting.

He lives between the 44°S and the 65°S. One finds it on many islands such as the Sandwich islands or the Falklands. One also finds it on the Îles Crozet four million.

Behavior

The gilded gorfou is noisy, dirty and aggressive like mainly all Gorfous. It is nourished at sea and only returns on ground to procreate. Its food is composed of Krill, squids, various shellfish and small fish. To fish, he swims with a depth from 15 to 70 Mr. Apparemment, he can go down up to 100 Mr. the duration from a diving never exceeds 2 minutes. Its predatory natural is the sea lions or the seals. Its eggs are sometimes eaten by birds. But they are so numerous that there is nothing in particular to note on this side.

The gorfou gilded like many of other penguins moults. It prepares after the departure of its small during three weeks. Their moults last 25 days during which these penguins cannot take the sea and are thus obliged to remain with ground and to fast.

Reproduction

The cycle of reproduction starts before November to give place to two laid eggs in November. The first smaller egg is not viable (of very rare case of success). The big shot of second egg occurs 4 to 5 days after the first laying. The nest is a small hole dug in the ground surrounded by stones and brushwood. The incubation lasts 5 weeks and separates in three parts. During the first part, the male and the female brood egg. During the second part, only the female broods egg while the male left at sea. Lastly, during the third part, the male broods egg. The female will return only after the blossoming of egg.

During the 24 days following the return of the female, it will seek food early the morning, to nourish its chick later in the course of the day. At the end of 24 days, the plumage of small allows him autoréguler. Consequently, the two parents will seek food at sea. The small one needs all the more food which it already grew. The small ones of the gilded gorfous are then gathered to form cribs and to thus increase the chances of survival of chicks. The small one eats then up to 100 G of food per day.

At the end of 11 weeks, the small one is ready to take the sea. It will return only in 5 years if it is a female and that in 6 years if it is a male.

Consequently, the parents can prepare their moult.

External bonds

Random links:

-46 | Pine Napoleon | Bruno Lippini | Stop merluchon | The Voyage of Simon Morley