Close up

The Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli) is a species of penguin, which can be found on the sub-Antarctic islands in the Australian region (Macquarie Island and adjacent islands). It is one of the crested penguins. It should not be confused with the similarly named King Penguin or Emperor Penguin. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the Royal penguin as vulnerable. The scientific name commemorates the German zoologist Hermann Schlegel.

There is some controversy over whether Royal Penguins are a subspecies of Macaroni Penguins. Individuals of the two groups have been known to interbreed, though this is a relatively rare occurrence. Indeed, other penguins have been known to form mixed-species pairs in the wild.