Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) are top order predators and their role in the marine ecosystem food web serves as a valuable indicator. Changes in their population, diet, foraging range and success relate to changes in overall marine health. Due to the St Kilda Breakwater construction upgrades, monitoring of the Little Penguin is still limited. During this period and while a new monitoring program with advancements in scientific methods to better quantify the little penguin population is being planned, updates are minimal and complete reports will be made available as soon as possible
Photo credit: Flossy Sperring
post construction completion and monitoring improvements. The status of the Little Penguin was last informed by data reported in 2019-2020. Importantly, the Little Penguin is recognised as a tourism asset and an iconic species for the Port Phillip Bay region. In Port Phillip Bay the construction of the St Kilda breakwater in 1956 for the Melbourne Olympics incidentally provided habitat to support the Little Penguin colony, currently estimated at 1,400 individuals and approximately 400 breeding penguins. The new data and information will be incorporated into future status assessments.
Data contributors and acknowledgements:
Page last updated: 12/11/24