Wildlife and Conservation
One of the world's rarest penguins nests in the rainforest above Doubtful Sound. Each spring our vessel and crew support the Tawaki Project's nest survey, and this is what we have learned about the bird, the work and the fiord.
Photo: Derek Morrison
The Short Answer
Tawaki is the Māori name for the Fiordland crested penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus), a yellow-browed penguin that breeds only in New Zealand and nests in coastal rainforest, mostly in Fiordland. It is hard to find because it nests out of sight, under roots and rock, along some of the most remote shoreline in the country.
That is why a small group of people who know the fiord matter. We have spent our working lives on Doubtful Sound, and for the Tawaki Project that means anchorages, shorelines and weather that most visitors never see.
Quick Facts
| Māori name | Tawaki |
|---|---|
| Common names | Fiordland crested penguin, sometimes called the jungle penguin |
| Scientific name | Eudyptes pachyrhynchus |
| Where it breeds | Only in New Zealand, mainly Fiordland and the southwest coast of the South Island, with smaller numbers on Stewart Island and nearby islands |
| Habitat | Coastal temperate rainforest, nesting in burrows, under tree roots and in rock crevices, often alone or in small groups |
| How to recognise it | A bold yellow stripe sweeping back from the bill over each eye, fine white streaks on the cheeks, a stout reddish bill, about 55 to 60 cm tall |
| Breeding season | Roughly July to November or December, depending on the year |
| Conservation status | Assessed by the Department of Conservation as a threatened species. See DOC for the current classification and population information. |
Page last reviewed October 2026. Figures and status are drawn from the Department of Conservation and the Tawaki Project; check with them for the latest numbers.
Fiordland Expeditions and the Tawaki Project
The Tawaki Project studies the Fiordland crested penguin: where it nests, how many birds there are, and where they go. Every year its team runs a nest survey around Doubtful Sound, and Fiordland Expeditions supports it aboard our vessel with crew who know every arm and anchorage.
The work is slow and physical. Teams land by small boat, walk the shoreline, check known sites and look for new ones. A reliable vessel, a warm saloon, a good meal and a skipper who reads the weather are what keep a survey on schedule.
It is the kind of contribution we would rather do quietly than loudly. The fiord has looked after us for a long time, and this is one of the ways we look after it.
The September Survey in Pictures
Searching for tawaki around the Shelter Islands. Photo: Derek Morrison
Planning the day's survey in the saloon. Photo: Derek Morrison
Survey maps in the wheelhouse. Photo: Derek Morrison
By Zodiac to the next stretch of shoreline. Photo: Derek Morrison
The Shelter Islands from above. Photo: Derek Morrison
Seeing Tawaki With Us
Tawaki are wild birds that nest out of sight, so we never promise a sighting and we do not stage encounters. What we can promise is a crew who know where to look, the time to look properly, and a fiord that is worth the trip whatever the penguins decide.
The best odds are during the breeding season, roughly July to November. On the overnight cruise we are anchored in the fiord when the day boats have gone, which gives the quiet shorelines to us. Guests regularly tell us about wildlife they did not expect to see: dolphins, fur seals, rare seabirds and, now and then, tawaki.
"Richard found us five crested Fiordland penguins to observe. The activities, kayaking and fishing, were well organised, and chef Mikey's food including crayfish pulled from the sea was excellent."
Questions
Keep Exploring
Our conservation commitments, the community we support and the partners we work with.
Our environment work
How deep, how long, how it got its name and how you reach it. The numbers behind the fiord.
Read the facts
Summer light, winter snow, spring waterfalls and tawaki season, month by month.
Pick your season
Our expedition vessel: sixteen metres, eight guests, and the boat that hosts the survey.
Meet the vessel
Photography by Derek Morrison, used with permission. Fiordland Expeditions. Since 2004. Two vessels, one family.