Penguins live in groups for one main reason – there is safety in numbers. A group of penguins is more likely to spot a lurking predator than a lone bird is. An individual penguin fleeing a predator as part of a group is less likely to get caught than it would be if it was swimming alone.

Penguins often establish their colonies on the coast so they do not have to travel a long way from the sea with food for the chicks.

Penguins breed in colonies because it gives their chicks a better chance of survival. Penguin groups have no real social structure. In many ways they are like shoals of fish _ every bird is equal, and there are no leaders. But unlike fish, penguins have times when they need their own space. Penguin nesting colonies are almost out of pecking reach of one another.

Penguins live in groups for more protection from predators. Male emperor penguin huddles together during the freezing Antarctica winter to keep themselves warm.

Colonies become huge crèches when the chicks hatch.