Lieran black-footed penguin (Liera)

The Lieran black-footed penguin (Spheniscus atropedes) is a species of banded penguin of the Sphenisciformes order in the Austrodyptornithes clade that is native throughout much of the coasts of Novolaurasia and northern Agra on Liera. The Lieran banded penguin is directly descended from the ancestors of both Humboldt penguins and African penguins that lived during the Pliocene on Earth; these ancestral banded penguins were harvested to Liera, and they had a widespread success on the northern continent.

Adult Lieran black-footed penguins weigh an average of 2.2–3.5 kilograms (4.9–7.7 lbs) and are 60–70 centimeters (24–28 inches) tall. The sex of the Lieran black-footed penguin cannot be recognised via differences in plumage, as they are monomorphic. The male is heavier and larger than the females. Lieran banded penguins have a black head with a white border that runs from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, and joins at the throat. They have blackish-grey upperparts and whitish underparts, with a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breast-band. They have spines on their tongue which they use to hold their prey.

The Lieran black-footed penguins feed in the water, preying on small pelagic fish, hagfish, cuttlefish, squid, krill, and other crustaceans, and ingest sea water with their prey. Their salt-excreting gland rids the salt from their bodies. Adult Lieran black-footed penguins can regularly dive to depths of between 20 meters to 50 meters deep in order to forage for prey. During the breeding season males and females have similar foraging and diving patterns as well as diet composition, however bone tissue analysis suggests that diets diverge post-season when limitations imposed by chick rearing are removed. Lieran black-footed penguins do not experience a severe shortage of food, because they have a consistent food supply being located on the coasts of Novolaurasia and the northern coasts of Agra. The presence of the large continental shelf in the northern Novolaurasian Ocean lets Lieran black-footed penguins forage far from their breeding colony.

Lieran black-footed penguins travel in large groups when hunting for food. In the breeding season, these birds gather in large nesting colonies at the coasts of both Agra as well as the southwestern and southern regions of Novolaurasia, which have a density of 20 nests per 100 m2. The breeding season begins with the arrival of adult Lieran black-footed penguins at the breeding colonies in February and extends into late July and August when the chicks are mature enough to leave the colonies. One of the largest of these colonies is located at Saint Begren Island. Nests are built under bushes or in burrows. Two eggs are laid. Incubation lasts 39–42 days, a task which the parents share in 10- to 15-day shifts. The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29 days and are fed every two to three days. Normally, both are raised through adulthood, though occasionally only one chick is raised. A successful Lieran black-footed penguin is considered to be able to raise 0.7 chicks on average per breeding season.

The Lieran black-footed penguin is listed on CITES Appendix I, which means that all international commercial trade in Lieran black-footed penguins or their body parts is prohibited. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 1980, as the Lieran black-footed penguin is not currently thought to be threatened and have thrived in areas near Lieran people settlements. However, captive breeding programs may be beneficial for the species' survival.