The genus ''Eudyptula'' ("good little diver") contains two species of

penguin Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

, found in southern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

(including the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...

). They are commonly known as the

little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is the smallest species of penguin. It originates from New Zealand. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage and is also known by ...

, little blue penguin, or, in Australia, fairy penguin. In the language of the

Māori people Māori () are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of Māori migration canoes, c ...

, little penguins are known as . For many years, a white-flippered form of the little penguin found only in

North Canterbury Canterbury () is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current form was estab ...

, New Zealand was considered either a separate species, '' Eudyptula albosignata'', or just a subspecies, ''Eudyptula minor albosignata''. Analysis of

mtDNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in ...

revealed that ''Eudyptula'' falls instead into two groups: a western one, found along the southern coast of Australia and the

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

region of New Zealand, and another found in the rest of New Zealand. These two groups are now considered full species: ''

Eudyptula novaehollandiae The Australian little penguin (''Eudyptula novaehollandiae''), also called the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, is a species of penguin from Australia and the Otago region of New Zealand. The species was described as ''Sph ...

'' in Australia and Otago, and ''

Eudyptula minor The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is the smallest species of penguin. It originates from New Zealand. It is commonly known as the fairy penguin, little blue penguin, or blue penguin, owing to its slate-blue plumage and is also known by ...

'' elsewhere. ''E. novaehollandiae'' probably arrived in New Zealand from Australia less than 500 years ago, following the

local extinction Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with extinction, global extinctions. Local extinctions ...

of ''E. minor'' in Otago.

Classification

Order

Sphenisciformes Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...

* Family

Spheniscidae Penguins are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds from the family (biology), family Spheniscidae () of the order (biology), order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the G ...

**Genus ''Eudyptula'' ***''

'' – little penguin ***''

'' – Australian little penguin ***''

Eudyptula wilsonae ''Eudyptula wilsonae'' is an extinct species of ''Eudyptula'' that lived in New Zealand during the Piacenzian stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical ...

Extant Species

Fossil species

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3021378 Bird genera Penguins Spheniscidae Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte