Photographer Yves Adams spotted an unusual king penguin in 2019. He was leading a tour near South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean at the time. Typically, king penguins have black, white, and yellow feathers. But this penguin’s feathers were only white and yellow!
Penguins get the black coloring in their feathers by producing a pigment called melanin. This penguin’s pale coloring is most likely caused by a genetic mutation, explains Rosalyn Price-Waldman, who studies bird color at Princeton University. A mutation occurs when there is a change in an organism’s DNA—the molecule that carries hereditary information. A mutation could have caused the penguin to have very little or no melanin.
Without black feathers, this penguin may be more easily spotted by other animals. This could make it harder for it to avoid predators or sneak up on prey. “We’re lucky to see this yellow penguin,” says Price-Waldman. “It helps us appreciate how colorful and cool penguins are.”