Subspecies Conservation Summary
Southern Rockhopper Penguin
(eastern)
Eudyptes chrysocome filholi Hutton, 1879
Spheniscidae
Conservation status
Australian breeding population: Vulnerable
A2bc+3bc+4bc
Population visiting Australian territory: Vulnerable
A2bc+3bc+4bc
Reasons for listing
Australian breeding population: Australian population
likely to be declining along with the global population:
global declines of >30% within 3 generations (34 years)
have occurred and are thought likely to continue, it is
assumed because of changes in habitat
Population visiting Australian territory: Most monitored
populations have declined by 30–49% over the last 3
generations (34 years) and the declines appear to be
continuing
Status 2000
Australian breeding population: Vulnerable
A2bc+3bc+4bc
Population visiting Australian territory: Vulnerable
A2bc+3bc+4bc
Status 1990
Australian breeding population: Vulnerable
A2bc+3bc+4bc
Population visiting Australian territory: Vulnerable
A2bc+3bc+4bc
Taxonomy
E. c. chrysocome (Falkland Is and off Cape Horn) is
extralimital. Species status is Vulnerable. Occasionally
interbreeds with Macaroni Penguins E. chrysolophus
(Woehler and Gilbert 1990).
Taxonomic uniqueness: high (6 genera/family, 7 species/
genus, 2 subspecies/species
Range
In Australian territory breeding occurs on Macquarie,
Bishop and Clerk, Heard and McDonald Is. (Woehler
1993). Extralimitally breeds on Prince Edward, Marion,
Crozet, Kerguelen, Campbell, Auckland and Antipodes
Is. (Woehler 1993; Jouventin et al. 2006; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service 2008; BirdLife International 2011). In
winter and spring, when not breeding, presumed to move
widely across the Southern Ocean, being regular visitors
to Tasmania (Woehler 1993).
Abundance
In 1990 population was estimated at 23 colonies and
100 000–300 000 pairs on Macquarie I., 2 colonies and 20
pairs on Bishop and Clerk Is., 12 colonies and 10 000 pairs
on Heard I., and 4 colonies and at least 10 pairs on
McDonald I. (Woehler 1991, 1993; Ellis et al. 1998;
Woehler 2006). Numbers on Macquarie I. were estimated
as 32 000–43 000 pairs in 2006–2007 (BirdLife International 2011). There are no recent data from Bishop and
Clerk, Heard or McDonald Is. (Woehler 2006). It is not
known whether the big difference between estimates on
Macquarie I. in the 1990s and in 2006–2007 are from a
change in survey methods or real declines but, given the
difference between the minimum estimate from Woehler
(1993) and the maximum quoted by BirdLife International (2011), and the declines on Campbell I., a decline
on Macquarie I. is assumed. Extralimitally there have
been decreases recorded on Marion I. (Crawford et al.
2003; Crawford et al. 2008), Campbell I., Antipodes I.
and Auckland Is. (Ellis et al. 1998) and of E. c. chrysocome
on the Falkland Is. (Ellis et al. 1998). Differences in
counts for Kerguelen and Crozet Is. between Jouventin et
al. (Jouventin et al. 2006) and Woehler (1993), which
were used to dismiss claims of a decline in the Indian
Ocean (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2008), remain
unexplained.
Ecology
Breeds on subantarctic islands in colonies from sea-level
to cliff-tops, and sometimes inland, with nests being built
among rocks and tussock grass. Major food items are
krill and other crustaceans, squid, octopus and fish
which, when breeding, penguins obtain near the nesting
island (Hull 1999b, 1999a; BirdLife International 2011). A
generation time of 11.5 years (BirdLife International
2011) is derived from an age at first breeding of 5.4 years
and an annual survival of adults of 83.7%, both extrapolated from congeners.
Threats
Although Black Rats Rattus rattus take eggs and young on
Macquarie I., it is not known if this is at significant levels.
Some were also taken by feral cats Felis catus before these
were eradicated. Diseases brought by human visitors is
another potential terrestrial threat. The largest population
decline on Campbell I. occurred from 1946–1956 and was
associated with a rise in sea surface temperature causing
© Birds Australia 2011
Published by CSIRO Publishing, http://www.publish.csiro.au/
Citation: Garnett ST, Szabo JK, Dutson G (2011) The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Current eligibility against IUCN Red List Criteria
IUCN
category
Criteria eligibility
Australian breeding population
A
Vulnerable: past, current and anticipated population
declines of 30–49% over periods of 3 generations (34
years) suspected from monitoring the global
population and deteriorating habitat quality
IUCN Red List assessment data
Extent of occurrence
trend
Area of occupancy
trend
Not applicable: at ≤5 locations but no plausible future
threat to locations, population fluctuations not extreme
No. of mature individuals
trend
C
Not applicable: population >10 000 mature individuals
No. subpopulations
D
Not applicable: ≤5 locations but no plausible future
threat
No. locations
Not applicable: no population viability analysis
undertaken
Population visiting Australian territory
A
Vulnerable: past, current and anticipated population
declines of 30–49% over periods of 3 generations (34
years) inferred from monitoring and deteriorating
habitat quality
B
Not applicable: >10 locations, not severely fragmented,
population fluctuations not extreme
C
Not applicable: population >10 000 mature individuals
D
Not applicable: population >1000 mature individuals,
>5 locations
E
Not applicable: no population viability analysis
undertaken
high
high
20 km2
stable
medium
medium
170 000
decreasing
low
low
2
high
2
high
low
Generation time
11.4 years
medium
Global population share
11–25 %
high
low
medium
Extent of occurrence
trend
1 130 000 km2
stable
high
high
Area of occupancy
trend
1 130 000 km2
stable
high
high
1 200 000
decreasing
medium
medium
9
high
Level of genetic exchange
Population visiting Australian territory
No. of mature individuals
trend
No. subpopulations
No. locations
Global population share
Conservation objectives
1. A stable or increasing population over a period of
decades
1 130 000 km2
stable
150 000
Largest subpopulation
Largest subpopulation
movement of food away from shore (Cunningham and
Moors 1994). Other declines are not understood but also
appear to be associated with food availability since the
weights of penguins returning to breed on Marion I. was
associated with breeding success, with both weights and
success have been declining (Crawford et al. 2008). Fishing
is currently unlikely to affect the birds on Macquarie or
Heard Is. given that both are protected with controlled
fisheries within the Exclusive Economic Zone, but they
could have been affected by fishing historically, from
which fish stocks may not have recovered (Ainley and
Blight 2009). The extent of the threat from ingested plastic
debris (Ellis et al. 1998) remains unknown.
Reliability
Australian breeding population
B
E
Estimate
>10
high
530 000
medium
<1%
low
4. Establish demographic parameters, particularly
survival of different age classes
5. Study the potential impacts of climate change
6. Eradicate rats from Macquarie I.
Bibliography
Ainley DG, Blight LK (2009) Ecological repercussions of historical fish extraction from the Southern Ocean. Fish and
Fisheries 10, 13–38.
BirdLife International (2011) ‘Species factsheet: Eudyptes chrysocome’. Retrieved 17 January, 2011 from <http://www.birdlife.org/>.
Crawford RJM, Cooper J, Dyer BM, Greyling MD, Klages NTW,
Nel DC, Peterson SL, Wolfaardt AC, (2003) Decrease in
numbers of the eastern Rockhopper penguin Eudyptes chrysocome filholi at Marion Island, 1994/95–2002/03. African
Journal of Marine Science 25, 487–498.
Information required
1. Rates and direction of change in sea temperature and
other oceanographic variables, and their effect on
prey distributions, in the southern Indian Ocean
2. Population trends or changes in adult and juvenile
survival
3. Ecology and movements when not breeding
Crawford RJM, Makhado AB, Upfold L, Dyer BM (2008) Mass
on arrival of rockhopper penguins at Marion Island correlated with breeding success. African Journal of Marine Science 30, 185–188.
Management actions required
1. Maintain quarantine status of Heard I.
2. Update the population estimates for Heard and
Macquarie Is.
3. Monitor rates and effects of marine debris ingestion
Ellis S, Croxall JP, Cooper J (Eds) (1998) ‘Penguin Conservation Assessment and Management Plan’. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley.
Cunningham DM, Moors PJ (1994) The decline of Rockhopper
penguins Eudyptes chrysocome at Campbell Island, Southern
Ocean and the influence of rising sea temperatures. Emu 94,
27–36.
Hull CL (1999a) Comparison of the diets of breeding Royal
(Eudyptes schlegeli) and Rockhopper (Eudyptes chrysocome)
© Birds Australia 2011
Published by CSIRO Publishing, http://www.publish.csiro.au/
Citation: Garnett ST, Szabo JK, Dutson G (2011) The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Penguins on Macquarie Island over three years. Journal of
Zoology 247, 507–530.
Hull CL (1999b) The foraging zones of breeding royal (Eudyptes
schlegeli) and rockhopper (E. chrysocome) penguins: an
assessment of techniques and species comparison. Wildlife
Research 26, 789–803.
Jouventin P, Cuthbert RJ, Ottvall R (2006) Genetic isolation
and divergence in sexual traits: evidence for the Northern
Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi being a sibling species. Molecular Ecology 15, 3413–3423.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2008) ‘Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; 12-month finding on a petition to
list four penguin species as Threatened or Endangered
under the Endangered Species Act and proposed rule to list
the Southern Rockhopper Penguin in the Campbell Plateau
Portion of its range. Federal Register’. Retrieved 17 February, 2011 from <http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2008/12/18/E8-29673/
endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants12-month-finding-on-a-petition-to-list-fourpenguin#p-39>.
Woehler EJ (1991) The status and conservation of seabirds of
Heard Island and the McDonald Islands. In ‘Seabird Status
and Conservation. ICBP Tech. Publ. No 11.’ (Ed. JP Croxall)
pp. 263–277. ICBP, Cambridge, UK.
Woehler EJ (1993) The Distribution and Abundance of Antarctic
and Subantarctic Penguins. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Cambridge, UK.
Woehler EJ (2006) Status and conservation of the seabirds of
Heard Island and the McDonald Islands. In Heard Island:
Southern Ocean Sentinel. (Eds K Green and EJ Woehler) pp.
128–165. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, NSW.
Woehler EJ, Gilbert CA (1990) Hybrid Rockhopper-Macaroni
Penguins, interbreeding and mixed species pairs at Heard
and Marion Islands. Emu 90, 198–210.
Comments received from
Rosemary Gales, Eric Woehler
© Birds Australia 2011
Published by CSIRO Publishing, http://www.publish.csiro.au/
Citation: Garnett ST, Szabo JK, Dutson G (2011) The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.