---
title: "Yellow-eyed Penguin"
description: "Megadyptes antipodes — Birds. The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes), known also as hoiho, is a species of penguin endemic to New Zealand."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/yellow-eyed-penguin
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Yellow-eyed Penguin

> Megadyptes antipodes — Birds. The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes), known also as hoiho, is a species of penguin endemic to New Zealand.

- Scientific name: *Megadyptes antipodes*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `sea` (Sea & coast)
- iNaturalist observations: 1288
- Wikidata: [Q206654](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q206654)
- iNaturalist taxon: [3831](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3831)

## Names

- en: Yellow-eyed Penguin
- de: Gelbaugenpinguin
- es: Pingüino de ojo amarillo
- fr: Manchot antipode
- nl: Geeloogpinguïn
- pt: Pinguim-de-olho-amarelo
- pl: Pingwin żółtooki

## Countries with the most observations

NZ (1171)

## Summary

The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes), known also as hoiho, is a species of penguin endemic to New Zealand. It is the sole extant species in the genus Megadyptes, from Ancient Greek μέγας (mégas), meaning "large", and δύπτης (dúptes), meaning "diver".
Previously thought closely related to the little penguin (Eudyptula minor), molecular research has shown it more closely related to penguins of the genus Eudyptes. Like most penguins, it is mainly piscivorous.
The species breeds along the eastern and south-eastern coastlines of the South Island of New Zealand, as well as Stewart Island, Auckland Islands, and…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-eyed_penguin

## Photo

![Yellow-eyed Penguin](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/yellow-eyed-penguin/medium.jpg)

Photo: Sunita Singh · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124858017

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/yellow-eyed-penguin?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).