The rockhopper penguin is the smallest of all the penguin species. They were given their name for their distinctive hopping movement unlike other penguins who waddle. The rockhopper penguin is distinguished by its unique look with yellow and black feathers that adorn their head, their orange beaks, blood red eyes and pink webbed feet. The rockhopper penguins were once part of a single species but have since been seperated into the northern and the southern rockhopper penguins. During annual breeding times you will find rockhoppers gathering in vast, noisy colonies of hundreds to thousands of other penguins. They always return to the same breeding ground and often to the same nest to seek out their previous years mate as they tend to form lifetime mating partners. They differ from most other penguins as they can be known to fight over nesting sites and mating rights. When the female finds her mate and gives birth she will usually lay 2 eggs although usually only 1 will survive. Both parents take it in turns incubating the eggs aggressively pecking at anything that comes near it big or small. Rockhoppers can dive 100 metres for several minutes while on the hunt. They will often stay out in the ocean for days at a time although they usually stay near the shallows. Due to the threats they face their population has been decreasing in the last 30 years.