Little Penguins are the world's smallest penguin (and incredibly cute!). They are flightless birds, whose wings have adapted to act like flippers to enable them to swim in the ocean.

Penguins are super swimmers! Their feathers act like a wet-suit keeping them warm and dry in the cold southern ocean waters. Penguins can survive at sea for days, weeks and months at a time, sleeping on the surface of the water.

Little Penguins rely on the safe land environment of the Penguin Parade reserve to breed and to "moult" their feathers. Each day, adult Little Penguins take to the waters of Bass Strait in search of food. You can see the penguins returning just after sunset at the nightly Penguin Parade.

The Parade is open every day of the year. The best time to visit is at sunset, when the penguins cross Summerland Beach to return to their sand-dune burrows. After a day fishing for food in the waters surrounding Phillip Island, the penguins make their way across Summerland Beach in groups. This delightful event is commonly known as the "penguin parade". This unique "parade" can be experienced from environmentally friendly observation boardwalks and viewing stands.

Although it's not widely reported for fear of jeopardising tourism, fairy penguins have developed some very antisocial behaviour as a result of continuous close contact with humans.

Their sensitivity to photographic flashes has long been known. In recent years there have been isolated attacks where an unsuspecting tourist was mauled by half a dozen or more fairy penguins after using a flash gun to photograph them at dusk.

While they may be flightless, during such attacks they have been seen to jump as far as three metres to pounce on their victim.
Beware penguins with attitudes!!!

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About LITTLE PENGUINS...

Q. When do they leave in the morning? A. 1-2 hours before sunrise.

Q. Why do they come ashore in groups at sunset? A. For protection from predators such as Sea Eagles.

Q. How long do they keep coming in at night? A. Majority (60%) of penguins come in within the first 50 minutes, the rest come in within 2 hours.

Q. Do they arrive in pairs or family groups? A. No, unlikely.

Q. What do they eat? A. Mainly small fish such as pilchards and anchovies, some squid.

Q. How much do they eat? A. In captivity when they are not exercising, they eat 150g per day. At sea, they would probably eat up to 500g daily.

Q. Do parents feed each other? A. No.

Q. Where are their main feeding areas? A. Mainly Western Bass Strait and Port Phillip Bay.

Q. How deep do they dive? A. Generally less than 10m. They can dive up to depths of 30m.

Q. How long can they hold their breath underwater? A. 55 seconds on average.

Q. How fast can they swim? A. 2-4km/hr on average (maximum 6.4 km /hr).

Q. How far do they travel at sea each day? A. 15-50km.

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