Oregon Zoo welcomes baby penguin, fuzzy gray hatchling joins Humboldt colony

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A new chick has joined the Oregon Zoo’s Humboldt Penguin colony.

Zookeepers say the young penguin began "pipping" on March 26, which is when they tap their beak against the inside of the shell. She emerged three days later.

The fluffy, pint-sized new arrival is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

She is the first Humboldt Penguin chick to hatch at the Oregon Zoo since 2020, and is the 192nd since the zoo began breeding the threatened species in the 1980s.

The zoo said she will likely be almost as tall as her parents by the end of summer, but she will be easy to spot, as she won't get her tuxedo markings for a couple of years.