What's in a word - Penguin

1 Mar 2020

What’s in a word – Penguin

What’s in a word – PenguinWe all know what penguins are. These black and white flightless birds live in various regions around the southern hemisphere, from Antarctica to South Africa.

Have you ever wondered where the name 'penguin' comes from? Let's find out!

The name 'penguin' first applied to a bird called the great auk, which lived around Newfoundland, Canada. The great auk was a type of flightless bird which is now extinct (no longer alive).
 	However, the word 'penguin' itself is believed to have come from the Welsh word pen gwyn, which means 'white head'. Welsh is a language spoken in Wales in the UK.
 	As per records, the word was also used by sailors of a ship called the Golden Hind who saw the 'pengwyn' bird in South America. This ship sailed around the world in the 16th century.
 	Thus, the sailors may have thought the great auks and penguins are the same or used the same term for the two birds who "looked similar".

Do penguins look similar to great auks?

They are not related but great auks were also black and white in colour and lived in cold regions (like the penguins).

Either way, penguins took their name from the great auks and that is how we know them today!

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