Any of 17 species (order Sphenisciformes) of flightless seabirds that breed mainly on islands in subantarctic waters and on cool coasts of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.
A few species inhabit temperate regions, and the Galápagos penguin ( Spheniscus mendiculus ) lives in the equatorial tropics off South America. Species differ mainly in size and head pattern; all have a dark back and a white belly. The smallest species, the little blue penguin ( Eudyptula minor ), is about 14 in. (35 cm) tall; the largest, the emperor penguin ( Aptenodytes forsteri ), is almost 4 ft (120 cm) tall. At sea for weeks at a time, flocks feed on fish, squid, and crustaceans.