West Coast's First Little Blue Penguin Hatches At Birch Aquarium

SAN DIEGO, CA — The first little blue penguin to hatch on the West Coast was hatched in San Diego.

The chick made its debut New Year's Day at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, the aquarium announced this week.

"Our team is beyond excited to welcome this adorable new addition to the Birch Aquarium family," said Kayla Strate, assistant curator of birds. "Our penguin colony is truly a diverse group, comprised of individuals from five different zoos and aquariums."

The chick hatched in the aquarium's Penguin Care and Conservation Center in the Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins Exhibit. The exhibit opened in 2022, bringing the world's smallest penguins to the western United States for the first time.

Birch Aquarium said the new addition is a "remarkable milestone" in aquarium's penguin conservation efforts as well as cooperative breeding program efforts with other Association of Zoos and Aquariums institutions.

"Birch Aquarium has significantly expanded its breeding and conservation efforts over the years," Executive Director Harry Helling said. "The hatching of our first little blue penguin chick is a major milestone for how today's aquariums can make a difference in a changing planet."

The chick is the offspring of Cornelius and Pink/Black, but it is being hand-raised by the aquarium's penguin care team. The chick, whose sex has not yet been announced, will remain behind the scenes for now.

In less than a month the chick has nearly tripled in size, growing from 29 to more than 800 grams, according to the aquarium. For the few weeks, the team fed the chick a blended formula of fish, krill and vitamins. The chick is now alternating between formula and a few pieces of fish a few times a day and will soon graduate to eating whole fish.

Birch Aquarium hopes to welcome more chicks in the future. In fact, more eggs are currently developing, according to the team.

"Penguins are impacted by climate change and are indicative of the health of the oceans," said Jenn Nero Moffatt, senior director of animal care, science and conservation. "It is critical that we not only protect wild populations but continue to maintain a healthy and genetically diverse population of little blue penguins in human care. Our efforts provide sanctuary and serve as a repository for this important bird species."