🐧 Why can't penguins fly?

Penguins waddle on land but zoom through the water. Let's learn the wonderful secrets of this bird that doesn't fly.

📷 A fluffy gray chick standing among adult emperor penguins.

What kind of animal is the penguin?

Penguins are birds, but they can't fly in the sky. Instead, their wings have become stiff and flat like flippers, so underwater they flap them and swim fast, as if flying. Most penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, and not only in icy Antarctica: some even live on the Galápagos Islands near the equator.

A penguin's black back and white belly help it hide in the water. Seen from above, its black back blends into the dark sea, and seen from below, its white belly looks like the bright water surface, helping it avoid predators.

The emperor penguin, the largest penguin, raises its young in the middle of the Antarctic winter. The father balances the egg on top of his feet and covers it with a warm fold of belly skin for about two months. During that time, the fathers huddle closely together to face the freezing wind as a group.

🔍 Things to observe

• Compare how a penguin waddles on land with how it swims underwater.
• Look at how a penguin's wings are different from other birds' wings.
• Study photos to see how a group of penguins stands together.

🖍️ Tips for drawing together with your child

• Draw a tall egg-shaped body and color the back black and the belly white.
• Adding a small orange beak and feet makes it even cuter.
• Paint a wide sea and icebergs in blue and navy, and Captain Peng will want to set sail.

💬 Let's talk about it

• If penguins could fly, where would they want to go?
• Why does standing close together keep you warm on a cold day?

🏪 In the game: Captain Peng