White-flippered Penguin - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

The White-flippered Penguin is currently considered by most taxonomists to be a color morph or subspecies of the Little Penguin (E. minor). mtDNA analysis by Banks et al. (2002) suggested that New Zealand's North Island and Chatham Island Little Penguins should be considered a distinct species – of which the White-flippered Penguin is probably a subspecies – and the Little Penguins of the western South Island of New Zealand and Australia also as a separate species. Shirihai (2008) treats the Little Penguin and White-flippered Penguin as allospecies. However, as of 2009, the IUCN and BirdLife International consider the White-flippered Penguin to be a subspecies or morph of the Little Penguin.