Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey has welcomed three new hatchings into their little blue penguin colony.
Little blue penguins hail from the coasts of Australia and New Zealand and get their name from their plumage of slate-blue feathers and stature as the smallest penguin species, according to the aquarium.
“We are so excited to have another successful breeding season among our little blue penguin colony. Welcoming any number of new chicks is always exciting. We have been fortunate to welcome eight chicks over the past three seasons,” General curator of Adventure Aquarium Nikki Grandinetti said in a news release.
The first bundle of feathers, a baby girl named Bananas Foster, was hatched on Jan. 26 to parents Chip and Truffle.
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The aquarium said at the time Chip and Truffle hadn't fully taken on parental duties and staff had to step in to keep the baby chick alive before passing the egg over to tenured parents Kororaa and Phillip.
The pair cared for and fed Bananas until she grew large enough to eat a whole fish, the aquarium said.
The next chick, another girl named Kiwi was hatched on Feb. 6 to parents Sheila and Spud.
Kiwi joins the colony alongside brother Tater Tot and half-sisters Adelaide, Elanora, Aroha, and Phoenix – all brooded by Sheila.
The last chick, whose sex and name have not been determined yet, hatched on Feb. 12 to parents Maremma and Bloke.
The aquarium said a naming contest will be held on social media next week and the public can help pick an official name for the baby bird.
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The penguin chicks will remain behind the scenes until they are about two months old. Once they are ready, you will be able to visit the chicks and see them with the full colony.
To learn more and to purchase daily tickets you can visit AdventureAquairum.com.
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