Fairy Penguin
The Fairy Penguin is one of the cutest Australian birds and is also known as the Little Penguin or the Little Blue Penguin.
The smallest of all the Penguins measuring about 40 centimetres in length with an indigo blue body and white chest.
They feed on small fish, squid and other small sea animals, which they can dive and swim for considerably.
They feed singularly and not as a group
When they have finished feeding, they come ashore in tight small groups (for defensive purposes) at dusk and cross the beach to join the colony.
This is the well known "Penguin Parade" that can be seen on Phillip Island, Victoria, where a viewing area has been set up to allow visitors to see the parade.
Breeding time varies depending on their location but is normally from August to February at Phillip Island and from April to December in Western Australia.
Two eggs are normally laid which both parents incubate for about 36 days then both parents share the care of the young.
They are only found in the Southern Hemisphere, along the southern coast of Australia, including Tasmania, and in New Zealand.
Go to next bird page: Crimson Rosella
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"The Legend of Bimi"
Introduction
There's a tale that begins in the sand hills
That I would like to tell,
Built from myth and many legends,
And my pen it does compel.
The desert's a hot, a hostile place,
Nothing's changed since time began,
There's a hazy unreality there
As if it, in the dreamtime was planned.
The noon of the day is so hot and still,
And over all an expectant hush,
Like a canvas that's waiting impatiently
For the touch of the artists brush.
The fire of the day can change swifly
To the night of startlingly cold,
Many legends are told of the people
Who live in this land so old.
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"The Legend of Bimi" just go to our
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