King penguins mating

While spending several weeks among the penguins, I got to watch a lot of different behavior. This pair of penguins could possibly be a first-year pair since they seem to be rather confused at the end.

It's interesting to note all the different cues they rely on during this ritual, from trumpeting, to posturing, to clacking their bills and rubbing on each other. Other interesting observations are that their brood patch seems to open up - the area on their stomach that keeps an egg warm - and the apparent male's tail feathers flair out.