Two Endangered African Penguin Chicks Born at Lincoln Park Zoo

Chicago (August 8, 2024) –Lincoln Park Zoo is excited to welcome two new feathered friends this summer. After a roughly 40-day incubation period, two healthy African penguin chicks hatched on June 24 and 27. Both chicks have been doing well and are being closely monitored by expert Animal Care and veterinary staff. Their sex has not yet been determined.

Both eggs were laid by African penguin Luna with her partner Oliver as part of the African Penguin Species Survival Plan (SSP), a collaborative population management effort among the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions. One egg was left with first-time parents Luna and Oliver to incubate, while the other was given to penguin pair TJ and Sunny to foster, an older parent pair who have successfully raised numerous chicks.

“Having two healthy chicks has been really exciting and we’ve loved watching them grow so far,” said Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds Nicole Finch-Mason. “We’re so proud of new parents Luna and Oliver for successfully incubating and rearing their chick, and equally appreciative of TJ and Sunny for sharing their penguin parent expertise.”

Both penguin chicks will continue to reach their developmental milestones behind the scenes, where they’ve been busy exploring their surroundings together. They recently had their second veterinary exam, during which they weighed in at 5.75 and 5.8 pounds. The chicks are enjoying spending time together on dry land before they start swimming and then eventually adventuring outside with the rest of the African penguin colony at Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove.

Once hatched, African penguin chicks typically stay in the nest for roughly 12 weeks and are fed by both parents. The chicks will retain their downy feathers until they molt into waterproof juvenile plumage. After one to two years, African penguins molt into their iconic tuxedo-like adult plumage.

Lincoln Park Zoo works closely with the AZA’s Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program, which focuses the collective expertise within AZA-accredited facilities to save endangered species. The African penguin is a SAFE priority species due to its decreasing population in the wild, which has gone from 141,000 breeding pairs in 1956 to less than 20,000 today.

African penguins are also called black-footed penguins, due to the color of their feet. They inhabit a costal range from South Africa to Namibia and are the only penguin species that breeds in Africa. The species has developed several heat-regulating adaptations to deal with the higher temperatures in their native range, including patches of exposed pink skin near the eyes through which blood circulates and cools, as well as special muscles that push feathers outward to release trapped heat. These adaptations are what also make African penguins a healthy fit for Chicago’s climate!

Welcome the new chick to Lincoln Park Zoo with an African penguin ADOPT package! Visit lpzoo.org/adopt to learn more.

About Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo inspires communities to create environments where wildlife will thrive in our urbanizing world. The zoo is a leader in local and global conservation, animal care and welfare, learning, and science. A historic Chicago landmark founded in 1868, the not-for-profit Lincoln Park Zoo is a privately-managed, member-supported organization and is free and open 365 days a year. Visit us at lpzoo.org.

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