New Zealand banded penguin (SciiFii)

The New Zealand banded penguin (Spheniscus novaehollandiae) is a species of banded penguin (Spheniscus) that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the coastlines across New Zealand to help boost biodiversity. New Zealand banded penguins penguins are medium-sized penguins which grow to be 61–76 centimeters (24–30 inches) tall and weigh between 2.7 and 6.5 kilograms (6.0 and 14.3 lbs). The males are larger than the females, and the weight of both drops while the parents raise their young. Adults have black backs and white abdomens. There are two black bands between the head and the breast, with the lower band shaped in an inverted horseshoe. The head is black with a broad white border that runs from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, and joins at the throat. Chicks and younger penguins have grey-blue backs, with a more faded grey-blue colour on their chest. Magellanic penguins feed in the water, preying on cuttlefish, squid, jellyfish, krill, and other crustaceans, and ingest sea water with their prey. Their salt-excreting gland rids the salt from their bodies. Adult penguins can regularly dive to depths of between 20 m to 50 m deep in order to forage for prey. During the breeding season males and females have similar foraging and diving patterns as well as diet composition, however diets diverge post-season when limitations imposed by chick rearing are removed. New Zealand banded penguins travel in large flocks when hunting for food. In the breeding season, these birds gather in large nesting colonies at the New Zealand coasts. The breeding season begins with the arrival of adult New Zealand banded penguins at the breeding colonies in September and extends into late February and March when the chicks are mature enough to leave the colonies. One of the largest of these colonies is located at Wellington, North Island. Nests are built under bushes or in burrows. Two eggs are laid. Incubation lasts 39–42 days, a task which the parents share in 10- to 15-day shifts. The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29 days and are fed every two to three days. Normally, both are raised through adulthood, though occasionally only one chick is raised. A successful New Zealand banded is considered to be able to raise 0.7 chicks on average per breeding season. New Zealand banded penguins can live up to 25 years in the wild, but as much as 30 years in captivity. The conservation status of the New Zealand banded penguin is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the New Zealand banded penguin's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.