A BBC film crew has captured footage of an “offending” stone-thieving Adelie penguin.
For four months, the team documented the penguin colony located on Ross Island, Antarctica, while working on the Frozen Planet documentary.
In the footage, a male penguin is seen pilfering stones from the nest of a neighboring penguin.
These birds construct stone nests to lift and safeguard their eggs from potential run-off caused by melting Antarctic ice.
Males boasting the finest nests stand a greater chance of attracting a partner, making the most desirable stones a coveted commodity within a colony of 500,000 penguins.
Director Jeff Wilson shared that both he and cameraman Mark Smith were aware of the occasional stone theft among the birds. However, he admitted capturing such moments amidst the bustling penguin colony proved to be quite a challenge.
“You need to get down to penguin level since they are only a foot and a half tall,” he remarked to BBC Nature.
