The northern rockhopper penguin, Moseley's rockhopper penguin, or Moseley's penguin, is a penguin species or subspecies native to the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It is described as distinct from the southern rockhopper penguin.
Region
South Atlantic and southern Indian Ocean islands
Typical Environment
Breeds in large colonies on remote, wind-swept, subantarctic islands with rugged, rocky shorelines and dense tussock grass. Nests are placed among boulders, cliff ledges, and in grassy or shrubby cover for shelter from weather and predators. At sea, they forage in cool, productive waters near the Subtropical Front and along shelf edges. They pursue prey underwater using wing-propelled dives, often far offshore from breeding islands.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 200 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The northern rockhopper penguin breeds mainly on the Tristan da Cunha–Gough Island group (UK) and Amsterdam–St. Paul Islands (France). It is distinguished from the southern rockhopper by its longer, more extravagantly drooping yellow crest plumes. Populations have declined steeply over recent decades, with likely drivers including climate change, fisheries interactions, disease, and invasive predators on breeding islands. They are agile climbers, hopping up steep, rocky slopes to reach nesting sites.
Rockhopper penguin skeleton in Manchester Museum
Northern rockhopper penguins in Tiergarten Schönbrunn
Northern rockhopper penguins on Inaccessible Island, drawn by the naturalist aboard HMS Challenger
Temperament
social and noisy, assertive in dense colonies
Flight Pattern
flightless; powerful underwater swimmer using rapid wing strokes
Social Behavior
Breeds in dense colonies with strong site fidelity, forming monogamous pairs for the season. Nests are simple scrapes or shallow bowls lined with vegetation or pebbles. Clutch is typically two eggs, with the first smaller egg often failing; both parents share incubation and chick rearing. Adults commute between colony and foraging grounds during the season.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Vocalizations include braying, harsh chatter, and trumpeting display calls used in mate recognition and territorial encounters. Duets and head-shaking displays with raised crests are common during courtship. Calls carry over surf noise to keep contact within crowded colonies.
Plumage
Sharp contrast of glossy black upperparts and white underparts, with dense waterproof plumage and conspicuous yellow superciliary crests.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small fish (e.g., myctophids), krill and other crustaceans, and cephalopods. Uses pursuit-diving to chase prey, often making repeated dives to mesopelagic layers. Foraging ranges can be extensive, tracking productive ocean fronts and eddies. Diet composition varies seasonally and between colonies.
Preferred Environment
Forages in cool, nutrient-rich offshore waters near shelf breaks and frontal zones. During breeding, often feeds within commuting distance of the colony but can travel far when conditions require. May exploit both day and night prey layers depending on availability.
