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Macaroni Penguins' Eating Habits

With such a funny name, one could hardly believe that Macaroni penguins are the world's most abundant species of penguin. In fact, the Royal penguin used to be incorrectly classified as part of the Macaroni species and is still often confused with them, but they are a distinct species. Macaronis are native to Antarctica and subantarctic islands. Considering their population and migratory tendencies, many conservationists consider the eating habits of the Macaroni penguins very important.

Diet
- Krill is the anchor of the Antarctic ecosystem as it is food for penguins, whales, seals, squid and seabirds.
  
  The Macaroni penguin is considered typical for penguins as far as diet goes. Their diet varies slightly based on location, but is mostly comprised of crustaceans, mollusks and fish. In some places, depending on abundance, crustaceans can comprise more than 50 percent of the diet of the Macaroni penguin. The main diet of the Macaroni consists of krill, which is plentiful in the waters surrounding their islands.
Migration
- Rapidly changing glacier conditions cause Macaroni penguins to be migratory.
  
  Due to the rapidly changing conditions of the subantarctic island scene, native species have had to adapt their lifestyles. Species such as krill, squid and fish have to migrate and tend to gather at different places throughout the year. For this reason, the penguins also migrate to different feeding spots. In fact, it is not uncommon for Macaroni penguins to regularly travel up to 400 kilometers, or about 250 miles, between feeding spots.
Hunting
- Penguins catch their food by diving underwater, but they must surface for air after about 3 minutes.
  
  When Macaroni penguins reach their feeding spot, they aggressively hunt down the food for the day. This requires diving into the water in search of their food, which is called pursuit diving. Macaroni penguins' dives usually do not exceed two minutes per catch, but they manage to dive between 50 and 200 feet deep regularly. Particularly hungry penguins have been known to dive 300 feet below the surface for food.
Other Facts
- Penguins are the most social bird species and breed, swim and feed in groups called rookeries.
  
  Macaroni penguins also have been known to dive at night, but usually the dives are much shallower. Night dives tend to be restricted to a depth of 10 to 20 feet. Macaroni penguins' other known foods include squid, a type of mollusk and any local fish if the penguin can't find krill or squid. Penguins tend to hunt in groups by pursuing schools of prey together, though they tend to go after individual prey rather than single larger ones.

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