Gentoo Penguin: Facts, Diet & Where to Find Them

1. What Is a Gentoo Penguin?

The brush-tailed, orange-billed regular of the Peninsula

The gentoo is one of three "brush-tailed" penguins, alongside the Adélie and the chinstrap. The name comes from the long, stiff tail feathers that sweep behind them as they walk.

Gentoos breed across a wide range: the Antarctic Peninsula, the South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, the Falkland Islands and other sub-Antarctic islands. Unlike some penguins, many gentoos stay close to their colonies all year rather than migrating far.

• Lifespan: typically 15–20 years in the wild
• Conservation status: Least Concern
• Taxonomy note: some scientists have proposed splitting gentoos into four separate species by region

2. Size, Colors & How to Recognize One

Look for the orange bill and the white headband

Gentoos are easy to pick out. Look for a bright orange-red bill, a white patch stretching over the top of the head like a headband, and pinkish-orange feet. Among the brush-tailed penguins, they're the largest and have the longest tail.

They're also noisy. The gentoo call is a loud, braying trumpet, delivered with the head thrown back.

3. What Gentoo Penguins Eat

Krill, plus more fish than their neighbors

Gentoos are flexible eaters, which may be part of their success. What they eat depends on where they live:

• Krill: the main food for most Peninsula colonies. Learn more in our Antarctic krill guide.
• Small fish: especially important in the Falklands and other northern colonies
• Squid: a smaller part of the diet

They usually feed close to shore and make short foraging trips, often returning to the colony the same day. That's why you'll see a steady flow of gentoos heading to and from the water on a landing.

4. The Fastest Penguin in the Water

Up to about 36 km/h underwater

On land, gentoos waddle, hop and occasionally slide on their bellies. In the water, they're transformed. Gentoos are the fastest-swimming penguins, reaching bursts of about 36 km/h (22 mph).

They often "porpoise" at speed, leaping out of the water in short arcs to breathe without slowing down. Groups porpoising past a Zodiac are a common and very photogenic sight.

Speed helps them escape predators such as leopard seals, which often patrol the water just off gentoo colonies.

5. Pebbles, Nests & Chicks

Where a good stone is worth stealing

Gentoos build round nests from pebbles, which keep eggs above meltwater and snow. Good pebbles are in short supply, so theft is common. It's one of the most entertaining things to watch at a colony: a penguin sneaks a stone from a neighbor's nest while the owner looks the other way.

• Nest building: October to November, often on the first snow-free ground
• Eggs: usually two, laid around November
• Chicks: hatch from about late December; both parents take turns feeding
• Crèches: by late January, chicks gather in groups while both parents fish
• Feeding chases: later in the season, adults run from their hungry chicks, which chase them through the colony

6. Population & Climate

One of the Peninsula's climate winners, for now

Gentoos number several hundred thousand breeding pairs, and the global population has been growing. On the Antarctic Peninsula, they've expanded south into areas that were once too icy for them.

Scientists think their flexible diet and year-round presence near colonies help them adapt to warming, while Adélie penguins, which depend more on sea ice, have declined in some of the same places.

That doesn't mean they're safe from every threat:

• Krill fishing in the Peninsula region competes for their main food
• Avian influenza has reached sub-Antarctic and Antarctic wildlife, and researchers are monitoring colonies
• Local disturbance at busy landing sites is managed under IAATO rules

7. Where to Find Gentoo Penguins

Almost any Peninsula voyage, plus the Falklands and South Georgia

• Cuverville Island: one of the largest gentoo colonies on the Peninsula, with iceberg views
• Neko Harbour: a continental landing with gentoos nesting beside a glacier
• Port Lockroy (Goudier Island): gentoos nest around the historic base and museum
• Danco Island and Petermann Island: gentoo colonies with good hiking views
• The Falkland Islands: home to a large share of the world's gentoos
• South Georgia: gentoos nest alongside king penguins and fur seals

For the other species you'll see on the same landings, read our guide to Antarctica's seven penguin species.

8. Visiting a Colony Well

Give way on the penguin highways

IAATO guidelines ask visitors to stay at least 5 m (15 ft) from penguins. Gentoos often break that rule themselves by walking up to you. If they do, stay still and let them pass.

• Don't block the highways: penguins use narrow trails between the sea and their nests. Always give way.
• Sit down: crouching or sitting quietly often brings the best close encounters
• Mind the smell: colonies are pungent. Bring a set of outer layers you don't mind getting dirty.
• Clean your boots: biosecurity washes before and after landings stop the spread of disease
• Pack a standard zoom: 24-105mm is ideal for gentoos. See our camera gear guide.