science

List of little penguin colonies

List of little penguin colonies is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of little penguin colonies rather than just read about it. In short: This is a list of little penguin colonies notable for their size, location or public profile. It is not exhaustive.

Key takeaways

List of little penguin colonies belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Connect List of little penguin colonies to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of little penguin colonies from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

This is a list of little penguin colonies notable for their size, location or public profile. It is not exhaustive. Some little penguin (Eudyptula minor) colonies are particularly large, well-known, or are tourist attractions; even small colonies in urban areas may attract tours. Little penguins, also known as little blue or fairy penguins, exhibit site fidelity to their breeding colonies and nesting sites over successive years. They live year-round in large or small colonies, with each individual breeding pair forming a burrow, or using caves or crevices between rocks, in which to raise their chicks (of which two are born at a time, usually about two days apart). Although many breed in large, well-defined colonies, the penguins also occur in scattered locations along long stretches of coastline. In New Zealand numerous beaches, bays and coves are host to penguin colonies. Colony sizes may range from thousands to just a few nests, with some penguins ranging into urban areas. The total population is estimated to lie between 350,000 and 600,000 individuals. Most of these breed on offshore islands where they are not subject to predation by introduced mammals, nor to regular disturbance by people, and are relatively secure. Many colonies on the Australian mainland, as well as on the coasts of Tasmania and New Zealand's North and South Islands, are in decline.

Tourism Little penguins typically return to their colonies to feed their chicks after sunset, which is when they are most visible to people and where tourist attention is focussed. Little penguins attract large numbers of tourists in Australia, and are important in several local economies. However, penguin tourism can also affect penguin breeding success through causing adults to desert nests and chicks to receive fewer meals.

Predation Little penguins were once common along the southern coastline of mainland Australia but are now primarily confined to various small islands and isolated coastal locations due to predation by introduced feral and domestic cats, foxes or, in New Zealand, stoats and ferrets, and stray dogs on the mainland. The birds and their nests are also preyed on by native animals such as goannas and, in the vicinity of the colonies at sea, by fur seals. Where roads pass close to colonies, they may be killed by cars. Due to their diminutive size, the introduction of predators and the spread of human settlement, some colonies have been reduced in size by as much as 98% in just a few years. An example is the small colony on Middle Island, near Warrnambool, Victoria, which was reduced from 5,000 penguins to 100; a subsequent conservation management program using Maremma sheepdogs to guard the colony and deter foxes allowed numbers to start to recover.

Australia

Jervis Bay Territory Colonies in the Jervis Bay Territory include:

Bowen Island - 5000 pairs, restricted access

New South Wales Colonies in New South Wales include from the north:

Boondelbah Island, Cabbage Tree Island and Broughton Island, near Port Stephens - four small colonies constituting the most northerly breeding site of the species, restricted access Lion Island - 300 pairs, nesting site threatened by invasive weeds, island subject to environmental rehabilitation program, restricted access Manly Point - small, threatened urban colony in Sydney Harbour Five Islands Nature Reserve - offshore from Port Kembla. Over 1000 occupied burrows in 1962, significant decline noted in 1990s. Barunguba / Montague Island - up to 8000 pairs, largest NSW colony, tours conducted Twofold Bay - small mainland colony in the Eagles Claw Nature Reserve adjacent to the town of Eden. This colony has gone extinct.

South Australia

Colonies in South Australia include:

Althorpe Islands - Group of islands in Investigator Strait, southwest of Yorke Peninsula Goose Island, Little Goose Island & White Rock Island - aquatic reserve Granite Island, Victor Harbor - colony in possibly terminal decline, from 1600 to 1800 individuals in 2000 to about 20 in 2012; reported as 28 in 2023. Greenly Island - Island offshore from Coffin Bay in the Great Australian Bight Investigator Group - colonies on Dorothee Island, Pearson Island which was surveyed as having approximately 12,000 birds in 2004 and the Waldegrave Islands. Kangaroo Island Kingscote - about 700 individuals in 2010, guided tours were given each evening, but stopped in 2013 Penneshaw - small, declining colony threatened by fur seal predation, evening guided tours Flinders Chase National Park - "thousands" inhabiting the park's shores, reported in 1972. Current status unknown. Ravine de Casoars - population described as "innumerable" in 1972. Current status unknown. Sandy Creek - "dozens" inhabiting limestone caves, reported in 1972. Current status unknown. Lipson Island, north of Tumby Bay, Eyre Peninsula - colony appears to be stable at around 100 animals. Louth Bay (Louth Island and Rabbit Island) - status unknown, previously a large colony in the 1800s Royston Island, in Pondalowie Bay at the south-west end of Yorke Peninsula - as of 1982, the species was reported as being “most numerous” on the island. As of 2011, the status of the breeding colony was not known. Sir Joseph Banks Group - island group in Spencer Gulf supporting multiple colonies - some in decline, others of unknown status Thistle Island - large island in southern Spencer Gulf Troubridge Island, off Edithburgh, Yorke Peninsula in Gulf St Vincent - formerly 3000-6000 individuals. In 2013, colony was believed to be in decline, with an estimated total population of 270 breeding adults; this number had recovered to around 450 adults by 2016–2018, but believed to be one of the largest little penguin colonies in SA. Access is by permit. Wardang Island - formerly the largest colony in Spencer Gulf. Population status is unknown. Wedge Island

Tasmania

Colonies in Tasmania include:

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of little penguin colonies

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of little penguin colonies claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of little penguin colonies before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of little penguin colonies ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of little penguin colonies

In research: List of little penguin colonies appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of little penguin colonies in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of little penguin colonies is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Lists of birds, Penguin colonies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of little penguin colonies outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of little penguin colonies in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is List of little penguin colonies in simple terms?

This is a list of little penguin colonies notable for their size, location or public profile. It is not exhaustive.

Why does List of little penguin colonies matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of little penguin colonies?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of little penguin colonies.