emperor penguin

American  

noun

1. the largest of the penguins, Aptenodytes forsteri, of the coasts of Antarctica, having bluish-gray and black plumage on the back, head, and wings, a white chest, and a patch of orange on each side of the neck.

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emperor penguin British  

noun

1. an Antarctic penguin, Aptenodytes forsteri, with orange-yellow patches on the neck: the largest penguin, reaching a height of 1.3 m (4 ft)

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Etymology

Origin of emperor penguin

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Sea ice is also vitally important for marine life -- scientists have observed catastrophic breeding failures of emperor penguin colonies because of low sea ice in recent years.

From Science Daily • May 20, 2024

Four new emperor penguin colonies have been identified in Antarctica from satellite imagery.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2024

Between 2018 and 2022, 30% of emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica were displaced by polar ice loss.

From Salon • Aug. 25, 2023

Four out of five emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica’s Bellingshausen Sea region very likely lost their chicks late last year because of disappearing sea ice underneath their breeding grounds, according to a new study.

From New York Times • Aug. 24, 2023

They became almost frenzied when a solemn-looking emperor penguin inspected them gravely from some point of vantage on the floe and gave utterance to an apparently derisive “Knark!”

From South: the story of Shackleton's 1914-1917 expedition by Shackleton, Ernest Henry, Sir