Adelie penguins are midsized, measuring about 27.5 inches and weighing 8.5 lbs. to 12 lbs. when adults. Like most penguins, they are black and white but also have distinctive marks, including a white ring around the eye, long feathers at the base of the bill and longer tails. Young Adelie penguins are completely black.
Adelie penguins mate during spring -- from October to November in Antarctica. The parents build a nest of stones and take turns to incubate a pair of eggs. After three weeks, the parents leave the chicks alone. Young penguins stay together in groups for safety and begin to swim alone when they are about nine weeks old.
Like other penguins, the Adelie is a carnivore, feeding on a shrimp-like crustacean called krill, as well as fish and squid. Adelie penguins may travel a total of 185 miles to find a meal. Both parents feed the chick by regurgitating food into its mouth. Adults only feed their own chick, which they identify by a distinctive call.
Orca whales and leopard seals prey on Adelie penguins, while the chicks are also a target to some birds such as skuas. Another treat is global warming and the increasing temperatures, which are melting the ice in Antarctica and resulting in loss of nesting sites. Although the Adelie is not considered an endangered species, in the past 25 years its populations have dropped by 65 percent. Other penguins species living in other areas are invading the Adelies' territory and competing for food.