Adopt an Animal!
Are you an ardent animal lover? looking for a gift idea?
Why not adopt an animal from either Edinburgh Zoo or Highland Wildlife Park for a whole year!
Plan You Visit
Find out how to make the most of your trip and book tickets here.
Become a Member
Our membership package comes with lots of benefits including a year's unlimited free entry to both our parks!
You can join by post, phone or even today on the website.
| Common Name: | King penguin | Family: | Spheniscidae |
| Latin Name: | Aptenodytes patagonicus | Diet: | Piscivore |
| Type: | Bird | Habitat: | Oceans |
| Native To: | Antarctica | Social Unit: | Group |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Endangered |
King penguins at Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo has one very special King penguin named Sir Nils Olav, who has been awarded an honorary colonel-in-chief of the Kings Guard in the Norwegian army, and was knighted in 2008. He is very proud of this and when the guardsman visit him he especially enjoys inspecting the guards and listening to the bandsmen. Read more about Sir Nils Olav!
King penguins were one of the very first species to be kept at Edinburgh Zoo. They were first bred at the Zoo in 1919, which was the first captive breeding of this species anywhere in the world. For these reasons, a king penguin can be seen on the Zoo’s logo and on the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s crest.
As of 2009, Edinburgh Zoo has ten king penguins. Their breeding season is May to September. Their courtship behaviour starts in April, immediately after they have finished their annual moult, so they are looking at their very best.
Our king penguins are part of a European studbook, which is managed by Edinburgh Zoo.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
King Penguin with egg at Edinburgh Zoo, Photo by Mikey Walsh
Our king penguins can be found in the penguin enclosure, on the far west side of the park and to the south of the Education Centre.
King penguins in the wild
King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) are found on sub-Antarctic islands. They are closely related to Emperor penguins, which live in the Antarctic and are larger than King penguins.
Both species lay only one egg and incubate it on top of their feet, but unlike the Emperor penguin, both the male and female King penguin will share incubation duties and take care of the chick when it hatches.
King penguin chicks are very unusual-looking for the first year of their lives, as they have very shaggy, brown feathers and can appear to be even larger than their parents.
King penguins eat small fish and squid. They dive very deeply to hunt their prey—sometimes up to 100 metres (350 feet), far deeper than any other penguin species other than Emperor penguins.
Breeding programme category: ESB
IUCN Red List category: Least Concern
View our other animal profiles: