There’s Something About Penguins

BirdNote^®

There’s Something About Penguins

Written by Bob Sundstrom

[Lyle Lovett song “Penguins”]

“I don't go for fancy cars
For diamond rings
Or movie stars
I go for penguins
Oh Lord I go for penguins”

There’s just something about penguins. Pleasantly plump, they stand upright and teeter like toddlers. Penguins really are endearing.

Eighteen different penguin species occupy the southern hemisphere. They range in size from the four-foot-tall Emperor Penguins of Antarctica to the petite, one-foot-tall Little Penguins of Australia and New Zealand.

Though often depicted in basic black and white, most penguins are more colorful. Seven species have long, jaunty, golden feather tufts above their eyes. The largest, King and Emperor Penguins, have necks that glisten gold. The Little Penguin is blue and white.

Penguin ancestry dates back at least 60 million years. One species of ancient penguin stood nearly five feet tall, weighed as much as a human being, and had a long, vicious-looking bill.

So maybe they weren’t all cute. But as Lyle Lovett sings:

“Penguins are so sensitive
Penguins are so sensitive
Penguins are so sensitive
To my needs.”

For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.

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BirdNote’s theme composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Managing Producer: Jason Saul
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
© 2018 Tune In to Nature.org   December 2018   Narrator: Michael Stein
 
ID#  penguin-04-2018-11-29    penguin-04