UCSD - University of California - San Diego

02/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/03/2026 13:55

A First for Birch Aquarium: Little Blue Penguin Chick Reared by Its Parents

Published Date

February 03, 2026

Article Content

Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is celebrating another milestone in their Little Blue Penguin breeding program. For the first time, a penguin chick has been raised and reared by its penguin parents on habitat in Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins.

"Every breeding season, our team carefully evaluates individual penguin pairs for raising their own chicks. We weigh various factors such as past incubation history, nest location and colony behavior while also recording observations daily so we can make smart management decisions," said Kayla Strate, Assistant Curator of Birds.

This season, a new, young pair partnered up, resulting in the female laying a clutch of two eggs.

"Since this pair showed strong promise, our team decided to have them incubate and rear one of the eggs. They ended up being very successful!" said Strate. "It's been a delight to watch them care for and protect their chick under our team's watchful eyes."

A Little Blue Penguin snuggles closely with its chick in its nest inside a burrow box. Photo by Jordann Tomasek.

Penguin Parents

The incubation period lasted about five weeks, with both parents taking turns caring for the eggs. They used the warmth of their bodies to incubate the eggs, regularly checking and turning them to ensure proper development.

During this time, the Penguin Care Team inspected the breeding box daily and candled the egg about once a week to ensure that the chick was developing. As the egg neared its hatch date, the team went on "pip-watch," closely monitoring for the first tiny hole in the shell that signals the chick starting to hatch.

The penguin-reared chick hatched in its breeding box on Dec. 23, and the second chick hatched on Dec. 25 in the aquarium's Penguin Care and Conservation Center.

Forage, Feed, Repeat

The first few weeks are crucial for the development of young penguins, so the Penguin Care Team monitored and weighed the chick regularly to ensure its healthy development. However, the team was excited to let the penguin pair take the lead on caring for the chick, including feeding.

The penguin parents took turns foraging for food, with one staying back in the nest to keep the chick warm and safe at all times while the other ventured out to forage for fish supplied by the Penguin Care Team. After swallowing the fish whole and storing it in its stomach, the foraging penguin returns to the nest and regurgitates the meal so the chick can eat it.

As the chick continued to grow, it gradually became acclimated to the Penguin Care Team keepers. Photo by Birch Aquarium's Penguin Care Team.

As the chick continued to grow, it gradually became acclimated to the Penguin Care Team keepers, especially as it reached certain weight and growth milestones.

"We want the chick to be as comfortable with our keepers as it is with its parents, so it can thrive as a confident, fully integrated member of our penguin colony. This means we're slowly getting it comfortable with important practices like hand-feeding, routine veterinary exams and more," said Strate.

For example, while hand feeding the chick, the team is slowly introducing the shiny, fish-filled buckets used during penguin feedings. This helps the birds associate the Penguin Care Team as positive entities, allowing the team to provide the best possible care.

Now that the chick is reaching another exciting milestone, fledgling - when its fluffy down feathers are replaced by sleek, waterproof ones - the team has temporarily moved the bird behind the scenes. Once these waterproof feathers are in, the chick will begin learning essential skills like swimming and socializing with the rest of the colony.

Guests are not able to view the chick at this time while it continues to grow, however, penguin enthusiasts can follow the aquarium's social media channels for updates.

Care and Conservation

Since opening Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins in 2022, the aquarium has welcomed penguin chicks for three consecutive years, highlighting the Penguin Care Team's outstanding care and commitment to an incredible species. This ongoing work plays a vital role in ensuring a healthy, genetically diverse and sustainable population of Little Blue Penguins in human care.

In the coming years, the aquarium will continue its collaboration with fellow Association of Zoos and Aquariums partners, transferring some of these offspring to other sites so new penguin families can be established.

Little Blue Penguin chicks nearly triple in size during their first few weeks. At its first weigh-in, the chick measured at only 38 grams, and within just a few weeks, it had grown to a whopping 1,000 grams. Photo by Jordann Tomasek.
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