But a friend of mine mentioned he was tired of looking at the Hacking announcement and asked when I was planning to write about birds again.  After much ado about nonsense and excuses, I agreed to talk about the Penguins I saw at the Tennessee Aquarium recently.   It did not feel right because they were in captivity but I figured, when am I ever going to see them in their natural habitat?   Well, if I ever went to New Zealand it is probably possible. At first I thought I had to go all the way to the South Pole!   A visit to Antarctica is enticing but not very realistic for me at this time.

So, I do love penguins. Yes, they are flightless birds. Yes, they are great divers and swimmers and they live in the southern hemisphere.  Yes,  you can get really close to them at the Tennessee Aquarium with just the double thick panes of glass between you. It honestly feels like you are in the water with them. The museum staff even set up a small fountain in the visitor area so you could feel how cold the water is on the other side of the glass.  I was impressed with the exhibit. I spent about 2 hours in just that room. I studied every posting.  Learned about every species. Posed by the model penguins in their external habitat display.

So, here are a few facts about penguins and their lives.  Besides, everyone is all caught up with the movies these days depicting the degradation of their habitat… see Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two.  For a magnificent docudrama about the Emperor Penguin’s life you MUST see The March of the Penguins. The Emperor Penguin is the largest species. There are about 20 distinct families of penguins and they vary widely in size. Some are endemic to specific coastal areas. Wikipedia has a great narrative that encompasses life habits, breeding, popular culture images, historic discoveries and penguin fossils.

*note* my attempt to upload some neat penguin photos failed, so come back to see them.

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There are several different varieties of sub species as well, including the Tokoekoa, the Stewart Island Tokoea, the Northern Fiordland Tokoea, the Southern Fiordland Tokoea, and the North Island brown Kiwi, to name a few.

Kiwis are usually nocturnal, which some scientists believe is due to their inability to fend off predators. They are the only birds with nostrils at the end of their beaks. They use these special beaks to find food like insects, grubs or earthworms in the soft soil. Kiwis nest in hollow logs or under tree roots. Like other ratites, kiwis have no wing muscles, only vestigial wings. The closest relatves of the Kiwi are the Ostrich, Emu, and other members of the Cassowarie Family. These are also flightless birds.
Kiwi Birds of New Zealand
Latin Name Apteryx australis
Status Endangered

See My Kiwi Bird Gifts, Buy your Kiwi bird gifts.

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