Dichotomous Key/Spheniscidae

Key to Spheniscidae

• 1: Yellow crest present on head.
• 2: Yellow crest absent.

1

• 3: Solid yellow stripe runs toward bill, almost touching it.
• 4: Solid yellow stripe does not approach bill.

2

• 7: Head and/or neck is partially yellow.
• 8: No yellow is present on head or neck.

3

• Eudyptes schlegeli (Royal Penguin): Some or all of head is white.
• 6: Head is entirely black.

4

• Eudyptes schlegeli (Royal Penguin): Part or all of head is white.
• 5: Head is entirely black.

5

• Eudyptes chrysolophus (Macaroni Penguin): When dry, some of crest is pointed well above the horizontal.
• Eudyptes filholi (Eastern Rockhopper Penguin): All of crest is more or less horizontal or below.

6

• 14: Penguins of New Zealand and surrounding islands
• 15: Penguins of the southern regions of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

7

• Megadyptes antipodes (Yellow-eyed Penguin): 80 centimeters or less in length.
• 9: Length is over 80 centimeters.

8

• Pygoscelis antarctica (Chinstrap Penguin): Face is white with a single thin black stripe resembling a chin-strap.
• 10: Face is alternating black and white, but not white with a single thin black stripe.

9

• Aptenodytes forsteri (Emperor Penguin): Head and neck only slightly yellow; Height is over 100 centimeters.
• Aptenodytes patagonicus (King Penguin): Head and neck have bright orange-yellow spots; Length is less than 100 centimeters.

10

• 11: Beak has spots of orange or red.
• 12: Beak is black, white, and/or gray

11

• Pygoscelis adeliae: Head completely black except for small white ring around eyes.
• 13: White coloration present above and/or around eyes.

12

unfinished

• ?Eudyptula albosignata?, White-flippered Penguin? subsp of E. minor?
• Eudyptula minor, Little Blue Penguin
• Spheniscus demersus, African Penguin
• Spheniscus humboldti, Humboldt Penguin
• Spheniscus magellanicus, Magellanic Penguin
• Spheniscus mendiculus, Galapagos Penguin

13

• Pygoscelis papua: Head black except for white splotch above eye; 75-90 centimeters in length; Birds of Antarctica.
• Spheniscus mendiculus: Head various coloration, but usually with a white stripe going from the edge of the eye and curving back around to the chin; 50 centimeters in length; Birds of the Galapagos Islands.

14

• Eudyptes pachyrhynchus: Pink skin absent at base of bill; Usually with whitish stripes on cheeks.
• Eudyptes robustus: Pink skin present at base of bill; No stripes on cheeks.

15

unfinished

• Eudyptes chrysocome:
• Eudyptes moseleyi: