Editing Little penguin (section)

==Description==
[[File:Eudyptula minor -Wellington Zoo, New Zealand-8a (1).jpg|thumb|Little blue penguin in Wellington Zoo, NZ]]
Like those of all [[penguin]]s, the wings of ''[[Eudyptula]]'' species have developed into flippers used for swimming.

''Eudyptula'' species typically grow to between {{convert|30|and|33|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}} tall and on average weigh 1.5&nbsp;kg (3.3&nbsp;lb). The head and upper parts are blue in colour, with slate-grey ear coverts fading to white underneath, from the chin to the belly. Their flippers are blue in colour. The dark grey-black beak is 3–4&nbsp;cm long, the irises pale silvery- or bluish-grey or hazel, and the feet pink above with black soles and webbing. An immature individual will have a shorter bill and lighter upperparts.<ref name="Will230">{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Tony D. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30736089 |title=The penguins : Spheniscidae |date=1995 |publisher=Oxford University Press |others=Rory P. Wilson, P. Dee Boersma, David L. Stokes, Jeff Davies, John Busby |isbn=0-19-854667-X |location=Oxford |oclc=30736089}}</ref>

Like most seabirds, the ''Eudyptula'' species have a long lifespan. The average for the species is 6.5 years, but [[bird ringing|flipper ringing]] experiments show that in very exceptional cases they may live up to 25 years in captivity.<ref name="Dann05">{{Cite journal | last = Dann | first = Peter | title = Longevity in Little Penguins | url = http://www.marineornithology.org/PDF/33_1/33_1_71-72.pdf | journal = Marine Ornithology |issue= 33 |pages= 71–72 | year = 2005 | access-date = 17 September 2012 }}</ref>

''Eudyptula minor'' does not have the distinct bright blue feathers that distinguish ''Eudyptula novaehollandiae.'' In addition, the vocalisation patterns of the New Zealand lineage located on [[Tiritiri Matangi Island]] vary from the Australian lineage located in [[Oamaru]]. Females are known to prefer the local call of the New Zealand lineage.

There are also behavioural differences that help differentiate these penguins. Those of the Australian lineage will swim together in a large group after dusk and walk along the shore to reach their nesting sites. This may be an effective predator avoidance strategy by traveling in a large group simultaneously. This has not been seen by those of the New Zealand lineage. ''Eudyptula'' ''minor'' only recently encountered terrestrial vertebrate predators, while ''Eudyptula novaehollandiae'' would have had to deal with carnivorous [[marsupial]]s.