Penguins are stout-bodied, short-legged, flightless birds superbly adapted for swimming underwater. Their wings resemble flippers and their bodies are covered with short, scaly feathers with downy bases.

All 6 genera and 18 species are blackish above and white below, but some are banded across the breast and others have ornamental yellow crests.

Penguins are found in the colder waters of Oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, breeding near the Equator on the Galapagos Archipelago, in southern South America and Africa, in Australia and New Zealand, and on many islands.
Only two species, the Aadelie and the Emperor, breed in Antarctica.

Although penguins feed mainly on small crustaceans (krill), fish, and squid near the surface, tha emperor penguin may descend up to 260m (850 ft) in search of food.

Penguins gather into large colonies to breed, returning year after year to the same rookery. The colonies are noisy with harsh calls and alive with the antics of courtship or mutual displays in which the wings are typically held extended and the bill pointed skyward.

These penguins build no nest. Instead, both parents take turns incubating their one egg on the top of their feet. They keep the egg warm with a special skin fold.
The female emperor penguin lays her egg in May and then goes to sea to feed while the male incubates continuosly for two months without eating. When the female returns to care for the newly hatched chick, the male goes to sea to regain his lost weight. Chicks feed by reaching into their parents' throats for food that is brought from the sea. Mortality of the chicks is often high (40 to 80%) because of severe storms and predation by skuas and sheatbills. Although their eggs were once harvested and adults slaughtered for their oil and skin, penguins are now widely protected.

Penguins are often mistakenly associated with the tundra because this biome is characterized by harsh conditions, cold and snow. And penguins are birds that live in such environmental conditions, spending much of their time at sea, but, strictly speaking, penguins occur at the opposite end of the earth from the tundra at southern latitudes and the Antarctic.
These penguins live in more temperate waters than those closer to the South Pole, so they have less protective fat than other cold-weather penguins. Their feathers are waterproof - perfect for swimming. Besides the standard black-and-white penguin tuxedo, this bird sports yellow feathers on its neck and chest.