Some Little Penguin colonies are particularly large, well-known, or are tourist attractions. Note that many Little Penguins do not breed in large well-defined colonies; they can occur in scattered locations along long stretches of coastline. In New Zealand, for instance, numerous beaches, bays and coves are host to penguin colonies. Colony sizes may range from just a few nests to thousands of nests, with some penguins ranging into urban areas.
Little penguins were once common on the mainland of Australia but are now primarily confined to various small islands due to the introduction of domestic cats to the mainland.