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National Geographic Kids: Penguins  read aloud

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Get ready for an epic battle of ultimate cuteness. Which team will you be rooting for in this hilarious seabird smackdown?

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Emperor penguins spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in its waters. They survive-breeding, raising young, and eating-by relying on a number of clever adaptations.

These flightless birds breed in the winter. After a courtship of several weeks, a female emperor penguin lays one single egg then leaves! Each penguin egg's father balances it on his feet and covers it with his brood pouch, a very warm layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg cozy. There the males stand, for about 65 days, through icy temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding storms.

Finally, after about two months, the females return from the sea, bringing food they regurgitate, or bring up, to feed the now hatched chicks. The males eagerly leave for their own fishing session at sea, and the mothers take over care of the chicks for a while.

As the young penguins grow, adults leave them in groups of chicks called crèches while they leave to fish. There is a reason for the timing of emperor penguins' hatching. By December, when the Antarctic weather has warmed somewhat, the ice the penguins occupy begins to break up, bringing open waters closer to the nesting sites. Now the chicks are old enough to take to the seas and fish for their own food.

Check out the book Penguins vs. Puffins for more about these amazing birds!

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Emperor penguins spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in its waters. They survive-breeding, raising young, and eating-by relying on a number of clever adaptations. These flightless birds breed in the winter. After a courtship of several weeks, a female emperor penguin lays one single egg then leaves!

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ReadWorks | Award-Winning, EdTech Nonprofit Organization

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ReadWorks is an edtech nonprofit organization that is committed to helping to solve America’s reading comprehension crisis.

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National Geographic TV Shows, Specials & Documentaries

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Watch full episodes, specials and documentaries with National Geographic TV channel online.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/videos/

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Baby Emperor Penguins Emerge from their shells

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Baby Emperor Penguins Emerge from their shells

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Baby Emperor Penguins Emerge from Their Shells | Nature on PBS

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Time for kids

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Skip to main content

The world's largest colony of king penguins has shrunk by 90%, researchers say.

Thirty years ago, there were some 2 million king penguins on France's remote island of Ile aux Cochons. It is located in the Indian Ocean, between Africa and Antarctica. But satellite pictures show that the population has almost entirely disappeared. A recent study published in the journal Antarctic Science estimates that only 200,000 of the penguins are left.

The reason for the decline is unknown. Scientists say disease could be a factor. Another reason could be overcrowding. King penguins relocate when they can no longer compete for food.

But an even more alarming trend may be playing a part: climate change. Research has shown that rising greenhouse gases are taking a toll on penguin populations. Penguins like to hunt and fish in icy waters. But as air temperatures get warmer, so do the oceans. The penguins have to swim farther away from the island to reach cold water. That means hunting trips can take much longer. If the penguins don't make it back to the island in time, their chicks starve.

A study published earlier this year predicted that 70% of all king penguins could vanish before the end of the century. "It is completely unexpected, and particularly significant, since this colony represented nearly one-third of the king penguins in the world," Henri Weimerskirch told TIME. He is an ecologist at France's Chizé Centre for Biological Studies. Weimerskirch says scientists plan to visit Ile aux Cochons next year. There, they will conduct more research. They hope to learn more about what is causing king penguins to disappear.

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The world's largest colony of king penguins has shrunk by 90%, researchers say. Thirty years ago, there were some 2 million king penguins on France's remote island of Ile aux Cochons. It is located in the Indian Ocean, between Africa...

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Ducksters website

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Penguins: Learn about these swimming birds.

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Learn about penguins. They are birds that can’t fly, but boy can swim really fast. Where do they live and what do they eat?

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Youtube video

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All About Penguins for Kids: Penguins of the World for Children - FreeSchool