BEHIND THE SCENE

It’s amazing how our tastes and preferences change over time. I remember the first time I went to Antarctica I simply loved gentoo penguins, more so than the chinstrap and Adélie penguins.
After more than two decades of visiting Antarctica, though, the Adélies are now my new favourites.

Adélies are one of the three species of so-called “brush-tailed” penguins, named because their tails resemble brushes. They’re one of only two true Antarctic species. (The other is the emperor penguin.)
Despite their modest size relative to their larger cousins — 46 to 71 cm (18-28 inches) tall, and weighing just 3.6 to 6.0 kg (7.9 to 13.2 pounds) — Adélie penguins have outsized personalities.
They’re photogenic, too, because of their characteristic white eye-ring, and their ability to raise their hind-crown feathers, which form a diagonal occipital crest when on full display.
I love this image because of the Adélie’s detailed hind-crown feather pattern, which is simple and complex at the same time.