Photo: Yellow Eyed Penguin Portrait

A side ways glance by a cute Yellow Eyed Penguin provides a perfect portrait of these rare birds.

Say hello to the world's rarest penguin - the Yellow Eyed Penguin which inhabits several locations along the lower East Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The Maori name for these cute penguins is Hoiho and they are endemic to New Zealand.

As this portrait shows, the Yellow Eyed Penguin, like all penguins has sleek, tightly packed narrowed feathers which are waterproof and their flat wings have been adapted to flippers. These rare birds receive their name from the yellow band which wraps around the back of their heads from one eye to the next.

Yellow-Eyed Penguin, Megadyptes antipodes, making its way to its nest across the Fossil Forest at Curio Bay, Southern Scenic Route, Catlins, Otago, East Coast, South Island, New Zealand.

Make sure to see all our pictures of penguins.