All About Penguins

Penguins are birds, but they cannot fly. Instead, they are very good at swimming. They live near the sea, mostly in the cold places of the southern half of the world. A few kinds live in warmer places, but most penguins love the cold.

A penguin's body is made for the water. Its wings are short and strong, like small paddles. When a penguin swims, it looks as if it is flying under the sea. Penguins can stay in the cold water for a long time because they have a thick layer of fat and many small feathers that keep them warm and dry.

Most penguins are black on the back and white on the front. This helps to keep them safe. When an animal looks down from above, the penguin's black back is hard to see in the dark water. When an animal looks up from below, the white front is hard to see against the bright sky.

Penguins eat fish and other small sea animals. They catch their food in the water and swallow it quickly. A penguin can dive deep and swim fast when it is hunting.

Penguins live together in very large groups. Some groups have thousands of birds. They make a lot of noise, calling to each other so that parents and children can find one another.

When it is time to have babies, the mother lays one or two eggs. The parents keep the eggs warm and take turns finding food. When the baby penguin is born, it is small and grey and very hungry. Both parents work hard to feed it until it is big enough to swim and find food on its own.

Life is not easy for penguins. The weather is cold, the wind is strong, and there are larger animals in the sea that hunt them. But penguins are strong swimmers and clever hunters, and they help each other stay warm by standing close together in their large groups. People all over the world love to watch them, and many travel far to see these friendly birds in the wild.