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Difference between revisions of "Gentoo penguin"
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[[File:Gentoo penguin 03.jpg|thumb|Gentoo penguin]] | |||
The long-tailed ''gentoo penguin'' (/ˈdʒɛntuː/ JEN-too) (''Pygoscelis papua'') is a penguin species in the genus ''Pygoscelis'', most closely related to the [[Adélie penguin]] and the [[chinstrap penguin]]. The first scientific description was made in 1781 by Johann Reinhold Forster with a reference point of the Falkland Islands. They call in a variety of ways, but the most frequently heard is a loud trumpeting which is emitted with its head thrown back. | The long-tailed ''gentoo penguin'' (/ˈdʒɛntuː/ JEN-too) (''Pygoscelis papua'') is a penguin species in the genus ''Pygoscelis'', most closely related to the [[Adélie penguin]] and the [[chinstrap penguin]]. The first scientific description was made in 1781 by Johann Reinhold Forster with a reference point of the Falkland Islands. They call in a variety of ways, but the most frequently heard is a loud trumpeting which is emitted with its head thrown back. | ||
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==Description== | ==Description== | ||
[[File:Gentoo Penguin AdF.jpg|thumb|Gentoo Penguins in Antarctica, walking along a "penguin highway", a path that joins the sea and their nesting area on a rocky outcrop]] | |||
The gentoo penguin is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. It has pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail - the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have grey backs with white fronts. As the gentoo penguin waddles along on land, its tail sticks out behind, sweeping from side to side, hence the scientific name ''Pygoscelis'', which means "rump-tailed". The specific name 'papua is a misnomer; in the original description, Johann Reinhold Forster, a naturalist who had circumnavigated the world with Captain James Cook, falsely assumed that the species occurred in Papua New Guinea. | The gentoo penguin is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. It has pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail - the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have grey backs with white fronts. As the gentoo penguin waddles along on land, its tail sticks out behind, sweeping from side to side, hence the scientific name ''Pygoscelis'', which means "rump-tailed". The specific name 'papua is a misnomer; in the original description, Johann Reinhold Forster, a naturalist who had circumnavigated the world with Captain James Cook, falsely assumed that the species occurred in Papua New Guinea. | ||
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==Conservation status== | ==Conservation status== | ||
As of 2016, the IUCN Red List lists the Gentoo as least concern, although rapid declines in some key populations are believed to be driving a moderate overall decline in the species population. Examples include the population at Bird Island, South Georgia, where the population fell by two-thirds in 25 years. | As of 2016, the IUCN Red List lists the Gentoo as least concern, although rapid declines in some key populations are believed to be driving a moderate overall decline in the species population. Examples include the population at Bird Island, South Georgia, where the population fell by two-thirds in 25 years. | ||
[[Category:Penguins]] | |||
[[Category:Animals of Westarctica]] | |||