Eudyptula

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}

{{Italic title}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| name = Eudyptula

| fossil_range={{fossil_range|Piacenzian|Recent}}

{{Cite journal|first1=Daniel B|last1=Thomas|first2=Alan JD|last2=Tennyson|first3=Felix G|last3=Marx |first4=Daniel T|last4=Ksepka|year=2023|title=Pliocene fossils support a New Zealand origin for the smallest extant penguins|journal= Journal of Paleontology|volume=97 |issue=3 |pages=711–721 |doi=10.1017/jpa.2023.30|doi-access=free|bibcode=2023JPal...97..711T }}

| image = Eudyptula_minor_Bruny_1.jpg

| image_caption = Australian little penguin near burrow at night, Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia

| taxon = Eudyptula

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = Eudyptula minor

Eudyptula novaehollandiae

| authority = Bonaparte, 1856

| type_species = Aptenodytes minor(Commentationes Societatis Regiae Scientiarum Gottingensis 3 (1780): [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015073704044;view=1up;seq=187 135], [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015073704044;view=1up;seq=209 147].

}}

The genus Eudyptula ("good little diver") contains two species of penguin, found in southern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand (including the Chatham Islands). They are commonly known as the little penguin, little blue penguin, or, in Australia, fairy penguin. In the language of the Māori people of New Zealand, little penguins are known as {{lang|mi|kororā}}.{{Cite web|url=http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/little-penguin|title=Little penguin|last=Flemming|first=S.A.|date=2013|website=NZ Birds Online|access-date=24 July 2018}}

For many years, a white-flippered form of the little penguin found only in North Canterbury, New Zealand was considered either a separate species, Eudyptula albosignata, or just a subspecies, Eudyptula minor albosignata. Analysis of mtDNA revealed that Eudyptula falls instead into two groups: a western one, found along the southern coast of Australia and the Otago region of New Zealand, and another found in the rest of New Zealand.{{cite journal | last1 = Banks | first1 = Jonathan C. | last2 = Mitchell | first2 = Anthony D. | last3 = Waas | first3 = Joseph R. | last4 = Paterson | first4 = Adrian M. | year = 2002 | title = An unexpected pattern of molecular divergence within the blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) complex | url = http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_49_1_29.pdf | journal = Notornis | volume = 49 | issue = 1| pages = 29–38 }} These two groups are now considered full species: Eudyptula novaehollandiae in Australia and Otago, and Eudyptula minor elsewhere.{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0144966| issn = 1932-6203| volume = 10| issue = 12| pages = –0144966| last1 = Grosser| first1 = Stefanie| last2 = Burridge| first2 = Christopher P.| last3 = Peucker| first3 = Amanda J.| last4 = Waters| first4 = Jonathan M.| title = Coalescent Modelling Suggests Recent Secondary-Contact of Cryptic Penguin Species| journal = PLOS ONE| date = 2015-12-14| pmid=26675310| pmc=4682933| bibcode = 2015PLoSO..1044966G| doi-access = free}} E. novaehollandiae probably arrived in New Zealand from Australia less than 500 years ago, following the local extinction of E. minor in Otago.{{Cite journal|last2=Rawlence|first2=Nicolas J.|last3=Anderson|first3=Christian N. K.|last4=Smith|first4=Ian W. G.|last5=Scofield|first5=R. Paul|last6=Waters|first6=Jonathan M.|date=2016-02-10|title=Invader or resident? Ancient-DNA reveals rapid species turnover in New Zealand little penguins|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=283|issue=1824|pages=20152879|doi=10.1098/rspb.2015.2879|pmid=26842575|issn=1471-2954|last1=Grosser|first1=Stefanie|pmc=4760177}}