Vulnerable Humboldt Penguin Chicks Born in Washington Zoo

The two recently born Humboldt penguin chicks, a species listed as vulnerable, were gladly welcomed in a zoo in Washington State.

Two Vulnerable Humboldt Penguin Chicks

This spring, the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle welcomed two adorable baby Humboldt penguins. The unnamed, female chicks, which hatched on March 1 and March 17, respectively, made their press debut on World Penguin Day. They were part of the zoo's baby bird boom this year, which also included the hatching of an Orinoco goose and the births of five merganser ducklings this week.

The parents of the two new chicks at Woodland Park Zoo were paired per a breeding recommendation via the Humboldt Penguin Species Survival Plan. According to the IUCN, Humboldt penguins are a vulnerable species.

Breeding Penguins in the Zoo

Since the start of the zoo's first breeding season in 2010, there have been 90 successful hatchings in the penguin habitat, which was opened in 2009. With the addition of these chicks, that number has increased to 91, according to CBS News. This summer, more penguin chicks are anticipated to hatch at the zoo.

Breeding season at the Woodland Park Zoo begins in November and lasts until the molting season, which takes place in late summer.

One of the zookeepers, Celine Pardo, claims that the zoo is occupied for about nine months of the year with breeding and nesting, then rearing and fledging chicks.

The two Humboldt penguin chicks that were born in March are getting ready to leave their nest and their parents in early summer to join the colony of 42 other penguins. They will remain with their parents in hidden nesting burrows until that time.

The 31-year-old matriarch of the colony will assist in teaching the chicks to swim as they shed their downy feathers and develop their water-repellent fledgling feathers.

Penguin Starter Kit

Pardo claimed that the zoo's Humboldt penguin chicks were becoming anxious as they were honing their natural swimming skills. The zoo gave them access to a small pool far from the colony so they could learn and develop because they would splash around and scare themselves. The robust wings of Humboldt penguins enable them to "fly" underwater at speeds of up to 20 mph while controlling their direction with their feet and tail.

The staff is preparing the chicks for hand-feeding while they practice maneuvering underwater and holding their breath in their private pool. Similar to what they would eat in the wild, the zoo feeds the penguins fish that has been caught sustainably.

The chicks are regularly weighed to make sure they are meeting growth milestones. The younger chick is developing more quickly than the older one, which has a slower rate of development. The smaller chick, however, experienced a growth spurt and is now approximately three-quarters the size of its mother.

Raising Penguins

At about 80 grams each, the two Humboldt penguin chicks emerged from the egg. The older chick weighed 3.03 kilograms as of Tuesday, whereas the younger one weighed 2.66 kilograms. Male Humboldt penguins weigh between 4 and 5 kilograms, compared to 3 to 4 kilograms for adult females.

Merlin and Groucho, the parents of the older chick, both hatched there, while mother Rosalita, a hatchling from Woodland Park, and father Leonardo, who was born at the Columbus Zoo, are the parents of the second chick, the Seattle Times reports.