Ōamaru Penguins

04/09/2026

Voting for Bird of the Year 2026 opens TODAY! — so you can give your support to kororā NOW!
https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/voting/

Why does kororā need our help? 🐧💙

Even though tens of thousands of Little Penguins live around New Zealand’s coastline, their numbers are declining in areas where they are not protected. Here in New Zealand, kororā face threats on land from introduced mammals such as ferrets, stoats, dogs and cats. Rats and hedgehogs can also eat their eggs. Out at sea, their natural predators include sharks, sea lions and orca.

But natural predators aren’t the only challenge. Human activity can also put pressure on these little seabirds — from coastal development and disturbance to roads and traffic on land, and fishing activity and accidental capture at sea. Changes in the marine environment can also affect the availability of the food they rely on.

That’s why giving kororā a voice matters. Bird of the Year is a chance to put this small but mighty native seabird in the spotlight — and show just how much we care about its future.

Let’s give New Zealand’s smallest penguin with the biggest personality the support it deserves. 💙🐧

31/08/2026

29/08/2026

Why do kororā waddle?

The unmistakable side-to-side walk isn’t just part of their charm — it’s a result of being expertly built for life in the water. Kororā’s legs are set far back on their body, and their femurs are short and angled — features that help make them such capable swimmers. Great for navigating the seas, but not exactly designed for walking like us!

Their legs might look short, but their shape and positioning help little penguins jump surprisingly high and navigate rocky shores. We actually only see part of a penguin’s leg, as much of the leg is tucked inside the body. The positioning of their legs gives penguins a streamlined shape – a huge advantage when swimming underwater at high speeds. This also creates that distinctive shape and characteristic waddle we see on land.

And they can put that waddle to good use! Kororā may travel up to 1.5 km inland from the sea and climb as much as 300 m to find a suitable nesting site.

So, when it comes to getting where they need to go, this little bird is a surprisingly determined candidate for the high ground! 🐧🗳️

Science Sunday: sharing our knowledge about what makes kororā such a remarkable little bird.

Forest & Bird

28/08/2026

How industrious have our little penguins been this year!!

So far at our main colony, we have 249 breeding pairs who have laid 500 eggs and hatched 225 chicks, 14 of which have fledged. Our total breeding pairs last year was 261 and by the same time last year, they had laid 355 eggs!

They definitely deserve to be crowned Bird of the Year. Don't forget, voting opens next week.

https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/

26/08/2026

The Waddle Wednesday Challenge is officially underway! 🐧

Our Ōamaru Penguins team has put their waddling skills to use — now it’s your turn to embrace your inner penguin! Get creative on your own or grab your friends to make a short video showing off your own waddling style. Tag your mates and colleagues and challenge them to join in.

When posting your waddle, remember to:
📣 Tag Forest & Bird and Ōamaru Penguins
📣 Use

There’s no right or wrong way to waddle — let loose and have a laugh for a good cause! We can’t wait to see penguin lovers everywhere getting involved — showing their support for kororā! 💙🐧

Voting opens September 4th

24/08/2026

We have two new penguin chicks in our nest cam!

We love that we have such a great following and can go straight to the events based on comments from followers!

When the chicks are very small like this, the parents are able to give them a wee feed throughout the day (or a slightly larger feed than they're able to handle 🐧🐣)

Here is the link to our cams to check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/@%C5%8CamaruPenguin/streams

21/08/2026

As the Campaign Managers for kororā in Bird of the Year 2026, we’re on a mission to give this small but mighty bird the attention it deserves — celebrating its character and incredible skills, while shining a light on the challenges it faces.

Throughout the campaign, stay tuned for 🐧 Waddle Wednesdays — a lighter look at the quirky character of kororā, with a fun challenge for penguin lovers across Aotearoa to get involved!

We're preparing for the coming fun with this cute video of a penguin not quite nailing the waddle!

Watch this space!

Forest & Bird

19/08/2026

We captured this wonderful feeding event on our trail camera a couple of weeks ago.

When the chicks are around 4 weeks old, they begin venturing out of the nest at night in anticipation of the parents arriving home with food. Here we see two sets of chicks (approximately 5-6 weeks old), from two different nests, all accosting the same parent. Then we see another parent arrive to feed their chicks. How they figure out which chicks belong to them is a mystery!