A Young Penguin’s First Plunge | Wild Antarctica
The sudden increase of food in the oceans coincides with an important milestone in the
lives of emperor penguins. This little chick has been relying on its parents for food since the
end of winter, but now at the height of summer it's time for it to fledge. Its parents will
stop feeding it so they can eat enough fish for themselves to get through their annual molting
Many of the emperor chicks are quickly on their own. The black tips on their wings
show that underneath their fluffy down they have already grown their diving feathers,
ready for their first hunt. If the young penguins hesitate, the ever-shifting pack ice soon leaves
them no choice. Down feathers wash off during their first swim to reveal an almost fully grown
emperor penguin. As these young birds swim away from the ice for the first time, it's the
beginning of a long journey. For three or four years they will hunt in the deep ocean far to
the north of Antarctica. Incredibly these birds will return to the same shoreline after a four
year odyssey and then navigate to their place of birth so they too can breed.