Editing Little penguin (section)

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Eudyptula minor family exiting burrow.jpg|thumb|Eudyptula minor family exiting burrow]]
{{See also|List of little penguin colonies#New Zealand}}
''Eudyptula minor'' breeds along most of the coastline of New Zealand, including the [[Chatham Islands]]. The chicks are raised in nests constructed in burrows along the shoreline, both dug by ''Eudyptula minor'' and by other animals. ''Eudyptula minor'' does not occur in [[Otago]], which is located on the east coast of New Zealand's [[South Island]]. The Australian species ''[[Eudyptula novaehollandiae]]'' occurs in Otago.<ref name="MessageToEagle2">{{cite web |title=Australian and New Zealand Little Blue Penguins are Different Species |url=http://www.messagetoeagle.com/australian-and-new-zealand-little-blue-penguins-are-different-species/ |website=MessagetoEagle.com |date=16 December 2015 |access-date=12 May 2016}}</ref> ''E. novaehollandiae'' was originally endemic to Australia. Using ancient-DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating using historical, pre-human, as well as archaeological ''Eudyptula'' remains, the arrival of the Australian species in New Zealand was determined to have occurred roughly between AD 1500 and 1900. When the ''E. minor'' population declined in New Zealand, it left a genetic opening for ''E. novaehollandiae''. The decrease of ''E. minor'' was most likely due to anthropogenic effects, such as being hunted by humans as well as introduced predators,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Grosser |first1=Stefanie |title=NZ's southern little penguins are recent Aussie invaders: Otago research |url=http://www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/otago515801.html |website=University of Otago |publisher=University of Otago: Department of Zoology |access-date=11 May 2016}}</ref> including dogs brought from overseas.

It has been determined using multilocus coalescent analyses that the population of ''Eudyptula novaehollandiae'' in Otago arrived less than 750 years ago, more recently than previously estimated.<ref name="coalescent">{{cite journal |last1=Grosser |first1=Stefanie |last2=Burridge |first2=Christopher P. |last3=Peucker |first3=Amanda J. |last4=Waters |first4=Jonathan M. |date=14 December 2015 |title=Coalescent Modelling Suggests Recent Secondary-Contact of Cryptic Penguin Species |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=12 |pages=e0144966 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0144966 |pmc=4682933 |pmid=26675310 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1044966G }}</ref>

Outside of the Otago region, all colonies are expected to belong to the subspecies ''Eudyptula minor.'' Many of these colonies are smaller and more patchily distributed than larger ''Eudyptula novaehollandiae'' colonies that exist in Australia and Otago. Extensive research exists on Philip Island<ref>Giling Darren, Reina Richard D., Hogg Zoe (2008) Anthropogenic influence on an urban colony of the little penguin Eudyptula minor. Marine and Freshwater Research 59, 647-651.</ref> and Oamaru colonies as they are sites of large colonies which attract large groups of tourists <ref name="Mattern">Mattern, Thomas & Wilson, Kerry-Jayne. (2018). New Zealand penguins - current knowledge and research priorities. 10.13140/RG.2.2.16180.50564/3.</ref>
Population size and trends of colonies in New Zealand remain poorly documented. What are known as colonies in New Zealand commonly consist of smaller fragmented groups in comparison to Australia's larger colonies, some with <10 breeding pairs. This is largely attributed to NZs fragmented coastline separating the larger colonies. This is commonly seen in [[Kaikōura]] where 6–7 smaller colonies have been found along 1.7% of coastline <ref name="Mattern"/><ref>Cargill, C. P., Judkins, A. G., & Weir, J. S. (2020). Distribution of little penguins (Eudyptula minor) along the greater Kaikōura coastline, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 56(1), 43–58.</ref>