The White-flippered Penguin (Eudyptula albosignata) is one of the world’s smallest penguin species. 

1) How do they look like? 
The White-flippered Penguin has an overall blue-grey appearance, which is very similar to the Little Penguin (Blue Penguin).  They are distinguished with broad white trailing and leading edges of the flipper.  They typically grow to 30 cm tall and weighing 1.5 kg. 

2) How are they classified in penguin families?
The White-flippered Penguin was previously classified as a subspecies of the Little Penguin(Blue Penguin), or thought to be just a colour morph of the Little Penguin (Blue Penguin).  However, recent genetic analysis conducted by Dr Baker in USA, looking at both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, has found the White-flippered Penguin distinct from the rest of the Little Penguins (E. minor) and treated it as a full species.  Dr Baker stated
in the petition prepared by the Center for Biological Diversity for US Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service that the two lineages diverged about 2.7 million years ago.

3) Where on the earth do they live?
The White-flippered Penguin is endemic to Canterbury, New Zealand.  They breed only on Banks Peninsula (2,200 pairs) and Motunau Island (1,800 pairs). 

4) How and where do they make nests?
White-flippered Penguins lay  their eggs in a burrow lined with plant material, or in hollows under bushes or rocks, in dunes, or on vegetated slopes of coasts and islands.

5) What do they eat?
They feed on small shoaling fish or squid, and less often on crustaceans.

6) How endangered are they?
The most recent estimate of the total population is only 4,000 pairs (1,800 on Motunau Island and 2,200 on Banks Peninsula).  They are classified as “Endangered” by IUCN (The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) and Birdlife International, and “Acutely-Threatened” by D.O.C. (Department of Conservation, New Zealand).
 
7) What are their threats?
The key land-based threats continue to be predation by introduced predators and habitat degradation by human activities. At sea, White-flippered Penguins have been frequently caught in near-shore set nets, especially around Motunau Island. A large oil spill would be disastrous to this penguin, and the threat is high because the birds nest in areas near shipping lanes. 

8) Have they been long endangered?
Before European settlement started around in 1850 to Banks Peninsula, there were tens of thousands of White-flippered Penguins.  They have disappeared from much of their range since then, and are in much reduced numbers where they have survived. Human settlement destroyed habitat outright and predators have overrun many of the remaining colonies. 
In recent study, the aggregate number of nests declined from 489 to 85 between 1981 and 2000: an overall loss of 83%. On Motunau Island where no human lives without any predators, population has been stable. 

9) What are their predators?
Ferrets, Feral cats and Stoats are main predators.  Also, domestic dogs could be a major threat. 

10) What have been done to save them?
Some farmers on Banks Peninsula have been privately taking actions to protect White-flippered
penguin.  At Haris Bay next to Boulder Bay, a colony has been re-established by Dr Chris Challies,
using "chick transfer" technique from Motunau Island.  Around the colony at Haris bay, predator
fence has been set to protect the area from the intrusion of predators.

11) Who are involved in their conservations?
Above mentioned conservation works have been privately funded and privately initiated.  Department of Conservation has recognized necessity of more intense conservation activities, however, due to limited resources, there is no pro-active conservation actions have been taken by the Department. 
The predator fence around Haris Bay has been funded by Christchurch City Council, initiated by its co-operative parking rangers, however, Christchurch City Council as a whole has not been proactive to the conservations of White-flippered penguin, even though they are the only endemic birds of its region.  There are some councillors who are supportive to the conservation activities of White-flippered penguin, however,
other councillors have been showing no positive supports to the conservation programs.