Naughty Timmy is no longer the most troublesome penguin in Napier

Mo the penguin appreciates bed more than anyone on a cold winter morning, so-much-so that he's been refusing to get out of bed.

The National Aquarium in Napier started running a naughty and good penguin of the month in June in 2017.

Keepers at the National Aquarium have been voting on who deserves the titles good and naughty penguin each month for two years now and the interest hasn't waned, with followers of their Facebook and Instagram pages eagerly awaiting the messages each month.

Timmy was the naughtiest overall last year. But this month, Mo is out-mischiefing him.

"Mo has been a layabout over the last few weeks! Has sleep-ins, and doesn't get out of bed until feeding time. Penguins normally swim during daylight hours, usually getting up at sunrise.

"But not our Mo – he refuses to rise before 9.30am, then waddles across to get his food and tries going back to bed. Mo needs to be mindful of his tardy behaviour," an aquarium spokesperson said.

Timmy seems, for once, to be behaving, the spokesperson said.

"Timmy's actually behaving at feeding time. Yes,we were impressed too. He's not being his usual pushy self and has even restrained himself from flicking sand at the keepers. Basically, he's been awarded good penguin this month because he hasn't been naughty."

Timmy and Betty were the winners in June 2017 and when posted on Facebook for the first time the whole world took notice, with Timmy as naughty penguin of the month capturing special interest.

But penguin keeper Sakura Parker-Iida said Timmy was a little misunderstood.

"Everyone thinks he's quite this bad boy, but personally I think he's more, he just doesn't know better," Parker-Iida said.

"A lot of his stealing fish antics are just because he is quite wobbly on his feet because of his spinal injury."

Mo, on the other hand, is just plain naughty, and has taken out the title of naughty penguin of the month more than any of the other penguins, being awarded it four times.

"He's really a piece of work, he is quite naughty, he'll steal fish from other penguins, including his girlfriend."

The National Aquarium's permanent Little Penguin residents have been brought in because they've been abandoned as chicks, are partially sighted, have become sick in the wild, or been injured in dog attacks.

Mo was an abandoned chick and Timmy was injured in a boat strike.