Easily identifiable by the yellow band around their eyes, the yellow-eyed penguin, or hoiho, is endemic to New Zealand and considered one of the world's rarest penguin species.

They have nesting populations on the south island of New Zealand, Stewart Island and adjacent islands, and the Subantarctic islands. In total there are estimated to be around 2000 breeding pairs. Here on the mainland, you'll find breeding colonies in the Catlins, the Otago Peninsula, north Otago and Banks Peninsula.

Hoiho means "noise-maker" – though they're actually silent much of the time, only tending to vocalise around their nest sites. Have a listen to the call of an adult pair and their chick:
Yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho adults and chick (MP3, 2,417K)

Hoiho spend their day foraging for fish 2 - 25 km offshore before returning to the shore to nest. They've been found to dive to depths of up to 120 m to reach bottom-dwelling prey.

If you're lucky enough to observe them on their evening return, you'll see what heights they often have to scale to make it back to their nests. Some individuals will also travel as much as 1km inland. Of course, along the way they have to take lots of breaks to cool down!

Hoiho create shallow bowl-shaped nests filled with grass and twigs. They choose their spot carefully, often preferring sites with some shading from the sun. Most individuals tend to return to the same nesting site each year.

Eggs are laid between September and October, with a normal clutch size being two. Both parents share the incubation duties, which last for 40-50 days. Hatching then occurs in early November.

Hoiho chicks take a lot of work to raise, growing from 108 g to 4000 - 7000 g at the time of fledging. During this period, the parents will take turns attending to the chicks or heading out to sea in search of food.

The lifestyle of hoiho is such that they are dependent on both marine and land habitats. Unfortunately this means they are vulnerable to threats from both environments. Populations are in decline, despite extensive management efforts, due to mammalian predators, habitat destruction, disease, human interference and marine influences.

Want to help?

Think twice about bringing your dog with you to known hoiho nesting sites, and if you do, make sure to keep it on a lead at all times.

The yellow-eyed penguin trust needs volunteers to establish and maintain yellow-eyed penguin habitat in their reserves. If you are interested in helping with this work, contact the trust at enquiries@yeptrust.org.nz, or keep an eye on their facebook page for upcoming events.