Genetic monogamy mirrors social monogamy in the Fiordland crested penguin

Fiordland crested penguins (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus, henceforth tawaki) are restricted to the southwest coast of South Island, New Zealand where they nest in small isolated colonies of <25 pairs. Tawaki are socially monogamous and adults are philopatric: pair-bonds last some years, both resident adults participate in brooding and feeding of young, and birds regularly return to the same nest site or colony between years. To test whether tawaki are genetically as well as socially monogamous we assessed parentage in 24 families using multilocus minisatellite DNA fingerprinting. The DNA profiles of chicks were directly attributable to the resident male and female. There was no evidence supporting intraspecific brood parasitism or extra-pair fertilisations, although maternal attribution of one chick was ambiguous. Social monogamy appears to indicate genetic monogamy in this species.