Adelie penguins have white bellies and a white ring around
each eye. Their backs and wings are black, and their short beaks are partly
covered in feathers.
They live in the Antarctic and surrounding islands, and have a thick layer
of body fat to help keep them warm. This makes them a tasty morsel for
the leopard seal, who is their main predator. Adelie penguins feed mainly
on krill but also eat crustaceans (crabs and shrimp) and fish.
They are sociable birds, and live in large colonies of over a thousand.
In September and October they come ashore to breed. Adelie penguins
pair for life, and return to the same nest site each year. They make
a shallow depression in the ground and line it with pebbles. The nesting
birds are packed closely together, so there is fierce competition for
breeding sites. In fact, these cheeky penguins often steal pebbles
from their neighbours' nests.