Bronx Zoo Breeds 1st ‘Little Penguin’

Wednesday, July 27, 2016 7:37 pm | < 1 Minute Read

The "little penguin" chick in its habitat at the Bronx Zoo. (Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society via AP) — The “little penguin” chick in its habitat at the Bronx Zoo. (Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society via AP)

The Bronx Zoo has bred a “little penguin” for the first time in its 120-year history. The zoo is now exhibiting the chick, which hatched on May 10.

“Little penguins” — also known as “fairy penguins” and “blue penguins” — are the smallest of the 18 penguin species. Adults are only about 13 inches tall and weigh 2 to 3 pounds.

The rest of the Bronx colony was hatched at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, and brought to New York as part of a breeding program. In turn, the Bronx Zoo is supporting the Taronga Zoo’s “little penguin” conservation programs in Sydney Harbor.

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