The king penguin is large species of penguin. They look similar to the emperor penguins but smaller.

King penguins stand between 28-39 inches and weigh 21-40 pounds. Males and females look the same, but males are a pound or two heavier and they have different calls.

Adult king penguins have a black head and feet, white stomach, and varying gray colors on their back. A streak of orange marks the side of their beak with a solid orange cheek mark. This penguin’s upper crest on the chest has a mix of more orange than yellow.

King penguin chicks are a little odd. They start small but after 30-40 days, they hit a growth spurt becoming almost as large as their parents yet covered with a thick brown down coat.

King penguins are found on the subantarctic islands in Antarctica, South Georgia, and areas of the Indian Ocean.

A king penguin’s diet consists 80% of fish and the rest is squid or krill; however, fish makes up only 30% of their diet in the winter time. During the day, these penguins dive between 350-1,000 feet in search of food. Most penguin species dive in a V shape, going to a certain depth and then right back up to the surface. King penguins dive in more of a U shape, spending about 5 minutes at a specific depth before heading back.

King penguins can attempt to breed annually but it could take three years for a successful reproduction. After mating, the female will lay one pear-shaped egg that both she and the male will take turns incubating for two months; they balance the egg on their feet to keep it tucked warmly in a brood pouch. Chicks are hatched with a thin down layer so they must stay in the brood pouches of its parents until they grow the thick brown down after a month.

Besides their smaller size, king penguins can be differentiated from emperor penguins with their solid orange cheek patch (the emperor’s is yellow and white) and the upper crest of their chest has more orange than yellow.

King penguin chicks are curious and tend to wander around on their own. With king penguins breeding year-round, scientists originally thought the chicks were a totally different species.