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Jurong Bird Park Jurong Bird Park

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  • King Penguin

King penguin

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Penguin Coast
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Quick facts

Lifespan

Lifespan

13 to 15 years

Diet

Diet

Mostly Lanternfish,

occasionally icefish and squid

Habitat

Habitat

Flat coastal plains

of sub-Antarctic islands

Range

Range

Islands of South Atlantic

and South Indian Oceans

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The king penguins

King Penguin fishy diet

A fishy diet

Penguins have good underwater vision and hunt by sight. To catch their favourite prey of bioluminescent lanternfish, king penguins in the wild dive by night to depths of up to 240m.

Our king penguins feed on capelin and herring. As the fish are thawed, water-soluble vitamins are lost. To remedy this, our keepers hide multi-vitamin tablets in fish and hand-feed these to our penguins. Each of our kings get three tablets a day, the smaller penguins receive two.

Having a Ball

Having a Ball

Exercise, on top of a nutritious diet, helps keep our penguins physically strong and mentally alert. Playing with balls and popping bubbles are some of the many enrichment activities our keepers provide, to encourage them to explore and play. The keepers are always trying something new – a different-coloured ball, dancing lights, even strange new sounds.
I Can Hear You

I Can Hear You

The king penguin is no stranger to loud sounds. During breeding season, pairs take turn to forage and incubate their eggs. When off-duty parents return to shore, they locate their partners through contact calls that can be heard from a kilometre away.
Warming the Young

Warming the Young

At 55 days, king penguins have one of the longest incubation periods among birds. A single egg is laid and balanced between its feet, where it is incubated under a fold of bare skin called a brood pouch. The downy hatchling uses this for shelter. King penguin chicks are covered in a brown down. Look out for our chicks at Penguin Coast – they are hard to miss among the black and white adults.

Together, we protect wildlife

Hail the (mini) King!

Hail the (mini) King!

We welcomed our first king penguin chick in 2008, becoming the first Southeast Asian institution to breed the species in captivity. Spurred on by our success, we collaborated with a local polytechnic to learn more about their breeding behaviour.

The IUCN Status

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

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Pelican Cove
Pelican Cove
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Black-winged Myna

Every visit to our parks comes with

Every visit to our parks comes with
Find out how, together, we're creating a better future for wildlife and the planet.

Opening hours

8.30am - 6.00pm (Last entry at 5.00pm)

Open from Thursdays to Sundays, eves of and on Public Holidays, and selected school holidays

Address

2 Jurong Hill
Singapore 628925

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