About Eudyptes sclateri Buller, 1888
Erect-crested penguin, scientifically named Eudyptes sclateri Buller, 1888, is a small-to-medium-sized yellow-crested black-and-white penguin. It measures 50–70 cm (20–28 in) in length and weighs 2.5–6 kg (5.5–13.2 lb), with males slightly larger than females and having a larger bill, a trait shared with most crested penguins. Its upperparts range from bluish-black to jet black, while its underparts are white; it has a broad, bright yellow eyebrow stripe that extends over the eye to form a short, erect crest. With a mean body mass of 6.38 kg (14.1 lb) for males (sample size 22) and 5.4 kg (12 lb) for females (sample size 22), it is the largest crested penguin species and the fourth heaviest living penguin, with an average weight nearly matching that of the gentoo penguin. The biology of this species is poorly studied, and little new information about it has emerged over the past decades. The only recent study of the species, carried out on the Antipodes Islands, focused on elements of mate choice. Research on Eudyptes sclateri is limited by difficult logistics and restrictive permitting from the New Zealand Department of Conservation. It is presumed to feed on small fish, krill, and squid, similar to other crested penguin species. Its scientific binomial name honors British zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater. Erect-crested penguins breed on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands. Small breeding populations have previously been recorded from Campbell Island and the Auckland Islands, and a breeding pair was documented on the New Zealand mainland's Otago Peninsula in the 1940s. The species spends long periods at sea during the pre-moult period (February to March) as well as throughout the winter months (March to August). Individual penguins have been found as far from breeding grounds as the Falkland Islands, and it also occurs as a vagrant in Argentina, Antarctica, and Australia. Erect-crested penguins nest in large colonies on rocky terrain. On the Antipodes Islands, they breed in single-species colonies, or sometimes alongside Southern Rockhopper penguins. On the Bounty Islands, they breed in large mixed colonies with Salvin's albatross. Erect-crested penguins lay clutches of two eggs between September and late January. The first egg laid is typically 25% to 70% smaller than the second egg. This extreme difference in egg size is linked to asynchronous incubation habits, where the larger egg receives more space and higher priority than the smaller egg.
