Return of Bird of the Week: Macaroni Penguin

Macaroni Penguins, despite their silly name, are another amazing mountaineering species of penguin. These photos are all from a bouncing Zodiac rubber raft; we couldn’t make a landing where the Macaroni Penguins routinely did. Note the different bill structure. The Macaroni’s bill is adapted for a different genus of krill, its primary prey, resulting the bulbous shape. The feathers in the crown appear to be a sexual display thing. This is the landing for the Macaroni colony. Note the areas of bare rock, where the algae and barnacles are worn off by the passage of thousands of Macaroni feet. This…