Adelie penguin makes rare landfall in Aotearoa from Antarctica

The unnamed Adelie penguin was spotted on St Clair Beach, near Dunedin. Photo / Eco-Restoration Alliance

A rare penguin is getting fattened up in its new temporary home after travelling thousands of kilometres from Antarctica to the bottom of the South Island.

The black and white Adelie penguin - about 60cm tall and characterised by its flat head - was spotted on St Clair Beach, near Dunedin, on Tuesday.

Department of Conservation staff collected the fluffy, flightless bird and took him to the Opera penguin centre, run by the Otago Peninsula Eco-Restoration Alliance.

Opera co-owner Jerad Halban said it was undergoing health tests as it was underweight and malnourished on arrival.

“The time that he’s in with us, we’ll spend feeding him and getting him fattened up before sending him back into the wild,” Halban said.

“[It’s] Incredibly rare for us. We’re so used to seeing the hoihos and the little penguins, but not this guy.

“It’s very early days and since he’s so rare, we’re working really closely with the Department of Conservation and the Wildlife Hospital too.”

Made famous in recent decades by featuring in DreamWorks animated film series Madagascar, most of the world’s 10 million Adelie penguins reside on Antarctic coasts, with about a third living around the Ross Sea, according to the New Zealand Birds Online encyclopaedia.

There have been few sightings of the penguin in New Zealand, but two have been reported in January alone, possibly the same one - the latest at St Clair Beach, and the other at Monkey Island Beach, more than 60km west of Invercargill in Southland, on January 4.

“They’ve only been sighted four to six times [in mainland New Zealand], depending on which report you’re seeing,” Halban said.

A Department of Conservation spokesperson said there was no way of knowing whether they were the same individual penguin. But Halban said either way, the centre was happy to have it.

“It was reported a few days ago that he was down in Invercargill, in that area, and then made the journey up - so we don’t know for sure why he’s chosen to make the trip, but it’s an incredible opportunity to be able to see one in person.

“Certainly for our whole staff, it’s the first time they’ve seen one in person and it was just amazing to lay eyes on a bird that you wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to see here.”

He said the centre was abuzz with the new arrival.

“We have been getting questions about whether or not he has a name, and he does not have a name yet, so I’m sure that’s something a lot of people would like to weigh in on.”

The unnamed Adelie penguin will be released when the Opera and the Department of Conservation are satisfied he has a clean bill of health.