One very special Magellanic penguin chick has made its debut at Penguin Point!

The chick, fostered by a pair of first-time penguin parents, hatched recently after a careful incubation process. Biological parents Orange and Yellow laid two eggs this year. To give both eggs the best chance of success, one remained with Orange and Yellow while the other was carefully placed with Dwight and Myrtle. While the egg with Orange and Yellow unfortunately didn’t make it, the fostered chick is thriving—an exciting success for the penguin colony.

“A fostering strategy ensures each chick receives the full attention and resources it needs to thrive while also giving other pairs valuable parenting experience,” explained Jen DeGroot, the zoo’s Rocky Shores curator.

This is the ninth consecutive year the zoo has welcomed chicks as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan® (SSP) for this threatened species. In the wild, Magellanic penguins face serious challenges from oil spills, plastic pollution, and overfishing—making each successful hatch an important step for conservation.

Magellanic penguin eggs typically incubate for 38 to 48 days. Once hatching begins, penguin parents instinctively care for their chick by keeping it warm with their brood patches and feeding it regurgitated fish, affectionately known as “seafood slushies.”

The chick will remain mostly hidden under its parents in the first few weeks, emerging only briefly for feedings. Behind the scenes, zoo veterinarians carefully monitor its health with routine exams and weigh-ins. Around one month old, the chick will begin swimming lessons in shallow pools as it continues developing under expert care.

It will be a few months before the chick’s sex is determined through a simple DNA test. Until then, guests may catch a rare glimpse of a fluffy, down-covered chick nestled in a burrow at Penguin Point, a small but powerful sign of the zoo’s ongoing dedication to penguin conservation.