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The Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli) inhabits the waters surrounding Antarctica. Royals look very much like Macaroni Penguins, but have a black face instead of the Macaronis' white visage. They stand up to 70 cm tall and weigh between 4 and 5 kg. Royal penguins breed only on Macquarie Island and, like other penguins, spend much of their time at sea.

There is some controversy over whether Royal penguins are a sub-species 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.

External link

Australian Antarctic Division: Unusual Penguins Contains picture of mixed species pairs and hybrid individual penguins.