Do penguins live in Australia?
Yes, the little blue penguin (also called the fairy penguin) lives along the southern coast of Australia, from Western Australia to New South Wales. The most famous colony is on Phillip Island in Victoria, where nightly "penguin parades" attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year as the birds waddle ashore after dark. Little blue penguins are the smallest penguin species, standing only about 30 cm tall. They nest in burrows, rock crevices, or even under buildings in coastal towns.
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Where this answer comes from
Reference bodies behind our habitat answers. Links last checked August 5, 2026.
- BirdLife Data Zone - Species accounts, distribution, and population summaries.
- British Antarctic Survey - Antarctic penguin ecology, diving, and sea-ice context.
- Australian Antarctic Division - Antarctic species profiles, breeding, and environmental context.
- Galapagos Conservancy - Equatorial penguin range, breeding, and El Nino context.