Brookfield Zoo Celebrate Humboldt Penguin Hatching

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: March 6, 2022 6:21 pm

A month-old Humboldt penguin chick hatched at Brookfield Zoo on February 2.

Photo Credit: Jim Schulz/CZS-Brookfield Zoo

Brookfield Zoo have introduced a one month old Humboldt penguin chick which hatched at the zoo on February 2nd 2022. This is the second chick for parents Divot and Rosy after they were paired in 2013.

Divot himself hatched at the Brookfield Zoo in 2008 and was joined by Rosy arrived in 2013. Their pairing was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan. SSPs manage breeding of a species to ensure their population is genetically diverse.

The genetics of Divot and Rosy are considered underrepresented within the overall Humboldt penguin population in North America. Brookfield Zoo are home to 30 Humboldt penguins. Only 20 AZA institutions care for this species.

Guests visiting Brookfield Zoo can meet the Humboldt penguins in the Living Coast habitat.

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The as yet unsexed chick is being hand-raised by zoo care staff. In nature a Humboldt penguin chick will spend the first 70-90 days of life with its parents in the burrow. At this point the adults will head out to sea and leave the young to fend for themselves.

To mimic the natural life cycle of these birds at Brookfield Zoo they will take the chicks around this time. This helps the chicks to have an easier transition in to adulthood and allows care staff to monitor their food intake.

Humboldt penguins are listed as vulnerable in the wild by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. With a wild population estimated at less than 24,000 in the wild these birds are threatened by climate change, mining, pollution and habitat encroachment.

Learn more about Humboldt Penguins here - Humboldt Penguin Fact File | The Animal Facts

Learn more about the Brookfield Zoo on their website – Brookfield Zoo

Emily Macko, a senior animal care specialist at Brookfield Zoo, holds a Humboldt penguin chick who hatched on February 2.

Photo Credit: Jim Schulz/CZS-Brookfield Zoo