Yellow-Eyed Penguin

Yellow-eyed penguins / hoiho are one of the rarest penguins in the world and are only found in New Zealand. Since 1980 the yellow-eyed penguin population has steeply declined and has problems recovering. There are several reasons for this:

• Visitors disrupting their nests can cause penguins to delay returning from the sea to feed their young. This can cause their chicks to fledge significantly lighter.
• Yellow-eyed penguins walk up to one kilometre inland to nest and have been greatly affected by destruction of their coastal habitats. The penguin walk habitat at Curio Bay has been completely replanted to create a new and safe nesting site for them close to the sea.
• Stoats, ferrets, dogs, and cats are their major predators. In the 1980s predators were killing 60% of eggs laid by hoiho. Curio Bay has a ban on dogs to help protect them from this risk.
• The effect of climate change on the marine environment.