Penguin Chick Hatches

Look Out, Loretta! There’s A Multi-Species Family at the Zoo!

July 15, 2024

A macaroni penguin chick scored a hat trick at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium: her egg was discarded by her parents, she was given an assist by a pair of gentoo penguins, and she successfully hatched and found a family with her adoptive parents. Named Hat Trick, or Hatty for short, the healthy female chick is the ultimate peng-win, as she is uniquely being fostered at the Zoo by penguin parents of different species.

Although Hatty will not take to her habitat home ice for several weeks, she scored a behind-the-scenes visit on July 7 from Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan, who approved the Zoo penguins’ victory. “I was honored to welcome the newest Penguin, Hatty, to our team at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium,” said Coach Sullivan. “We love to visit the real penguins in their habitat and see their personalities. Some remind me of a few of our Penguins players!”

Hatty still has her down feathers and is not yet waterproof. Once she has her adult feathers and passes her swim test, she will gradually be introduced to the penguin habitat in the Aquarium. Through her first year, she will be identifiable by her lack of the macaroni’s distinctive yellow head feathers. (article continues below ⇓)

Historically, macaroni penguins lay two eggs in a clutch and often smash or discard the first egg. This year, Zoo staff pulled the first egg laid by macaroni penguins Sammy and Elsa and placed it under gentoo penguin pair Mambo and Cookie to allow the egg to develop if fertile. “The gentoo pair immediately took to the egg and did a fantastic job of incubating it for approximately 35 days,” said Shanna Gay, Zoo Aquarist.

The egg proved fertile, and staff was able to track the fertilization and development process through candling, or shining a light through the egg. As the egg began to “pip” (the start of the hatching process that takes 24-48 hours), not much progress was made by the chick, so staff assisted by opening the egg slightly to help the new arrival hatch. The chick was then placed under the foster father on the nest. The parental line change was a success and both mom and dad immediately welcomed the chick and have been fantastic parents. Hatty arrived on May 12 – Mother’s Day. “I thought that was very fitting for our first-time foster mom, Cookie,” said Gay.

A non-invasive DNA test of the eggshell post-hatch by the Zoo’s veterinary department determined the chick to be female. She was small upon hatching, weighing 61 grams, but staff and docents continually observed the foster parents and measured the chick’s weight daily over the past few weeks to ensure the chick made gains. “The chick is quite adorable, and she is now over 1 kilogram and growing strong,” said Gay. “We have started to introduce hand feeding in addition to the food she is receiving from her parents.”

Found from the subantarctic to the Antarctic peninsula, the macaroni penguin population is estimated at around 18 million. The decline of the overall population in the last 30 years has resulted in the classification of the species as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

A combined colony of both macaroni and gentoo penguins calls the Pittsburgh Zoo’s Aquarium home. As both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Zoo penguins hold a special place in the hearts of Pittsburghers, there are many opportunities to support the Zoo’s work with these beloved birds, as well as thousands of other amazing animals. For more information, visit our Support page.

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