For those with an eye for penguins, they will know there are between 18 and 20 living species, all in the subfamily Spheniscinae. The largest living species of penguin average about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) tall and weigh 35 kg (77 lb) or more. At the other end of the scale the smallest penguins stand around 40 cm (16 in) tall and weigh only 1 kg (2.2 lb).
Listing the modern living penguins starts with the Great Penguins (Aptenodytes). There is the very familiar King penguin and the Emperor penguin. There are three brush-tailed penguins (Pygoscelis); the Adelie, the Chinstrap and the Gentoo penguins. The Little blue penguin is the only little penguin (Eudyptula) whilst the Magellanic, Humboldt, Galapagos and African penguins are the four types of banded penguins (Spheniscus). The Yellow-eyed penguin is the only living large diver (Megadyptes). The largest group of penguins are the crested penguins (Eudyptes) and comprise the Fiordland, Snares Island, Erect-crested, Rockhopper and Macaroni penguins.
In addition to the above, there are also the white-flippered penguins thought to possibly be a subspecies of the little penguin. Similarly, it is still unclear whether the Royal penguins are merely a colour morph of the macaroni penguins. The status of the three subspecies of rockhopper penguins is also unclear.