Did you know the world’s smallest penguin lives right here on our doorstep? Standing just 30cm tall and weighing around 1kg, the Little Penguin is a remarkable seabird. Their scientific name is Eudyptula minor, meaning “good little diver”, and they can dive up to 60 m when hunting!

The Little Penguin colony at Manly is the only breeding population left on mainland NSW. Every winter, penguins come ashore around Manly Point and North Head to breed and raise their young. They inhabit these areas through to the following March.

Where do they live?

Our local penguins nest in rock crevices and sand burrows along secluded beaches around Manly. They are incredibly shy and sensitive to disturbance, so spotting them in the wild is very rare.

The best place to see Little Penguins up close is at Taronga Zoo, where you can enjoy watching them without disturbing their fragile wild population. They can also sometimes be spotted foraging in the harbour, or gathering just offshore in groups (or 'rafts') waiting to come onto land during the breeding season.

Knowing the areas where penguins may be rafting and foraging helps to improve their protection and management.

What do they eat?

Little Penguins are piscivores, which means their diet is entirely seafood-based. They feed on fish, squid, and small crustaceans – sometimes eating up to 20% of their body weight in a single day! With their excellent diving skills, they’re perfectly adapted to life in the ocean.

What do they look like?

Little Penguins are as charming as they are tiny. Standing just over 30 cm tall, they have sleek, slate-blue feathers on their backs and bright white bellies, perfect for blending into the ocean from above and below. Their flippers are short and strong, built for swift underwater swimming, and their eyes have a silvery sheen that helps them see in dim light. 

How can you support Little Penguins?

Manly’s Little Penguin colony is listed as an endangered population under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, and there are limits on certain activities within their declared habitat area. These restrictions allow penguins to safely build their nests, breed, raise their young, feed and moult. However there is still work to do.

There are a number of things you can do to help ensure the survival of Manly’s Little Penguin colony. These include:

• Being a responsible pet owner: Keep pets indoors, especially at night. 
• Reporting foxes: If you see a fox, report it to FoxScan.
• Reporting dead or injured penguins to the nearest wildlife rescue group. On the Northern Beaches, that would be WIRES (1300 094 737) or Sydney Wildlife (9413 4300).
• Reporting anyone harming penguins or their habitat to the NSW EnviroLine on 131 555, or the NPWS Duty Ranger on 02 9457 9577.
• Boating carefully: slow down and keep an eye out when boating, and always adhere to speed limits.
• Fishing responsibly: be aware when casting your line and put rubbish and fishing line in the bin.
• Reporting your penguin sightings to species.sightings@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au
• Contacting Council’s Planning Enquiry Service on 1300 434 434 for advice if you are planning to undertake a development in Little Penguin habitat.
• Help keep the beaches safe for penguins by joining the volunteer Manly Penguin Wardens.
• Join local clean ups: Participate in local clean up groups such as the Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew.

Fun facts

• Little Penguins can eat up to 20% of their body weight. For most adults this is about 180 cans of tuna!
• Penguins are highly adapted for sea life. Instead of having wings like other birds, they have evolved flippers that help them swim.
• Their black and white colouring helps them avoid predators in the water. Their dark backs blend with the shadowy depths when seen from above, while pale bellies match the sunlight from below.
• Their feathers are waterproof.
• Once a year, Little Penguins undergo a “catastrophic moult,” shedding all their feathers at once, leaving them stranded on land without waterproofing, unable to swim or feed, and highly vulnerable until their new plumage grows back.