PICS: 8 'vulnerable to extinction' macaroni penguins hatch at Missouri zoo

penguin
Photo credit (AP photo from Kansas City Zoo)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Eight fluffy macaroni penguin chicks have been born at the Kansas City Zoo.

Their eggs were flown in from SeaWorld San Diego and hatched in incubators in Kansas City, the zoo announced Tuesday. It is the first time in the zoo's 110-year history that it has been home to this species of penguin.

Zookeepers are raising the chicks by hand, which includes giving each of them up to six feedings a day of a mixture of herring, krill and vitamins.

The food is working, as the chicks continue to gain weight, the zoo said. They averaged only 3.25 ounces (92 grams) at birth but are gaining 10% to 15% of their body weight every day. They'll eventually grow to be about 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) and 2 feet (60 centimeters) tall.

The chicks are hidden from the public, for now, but are expected to join the general exhibit in the next few weeks.

Macaroni penguins are listed as vulnerable to extinction. They get their name from the bright yellow crest of feathers they'll eventually grow above their eyes because in the 18th century, a gentleman who wore flashy feathers in his cap was known as a “macaroni,” the zoo said.
penguin
Photo credit (AP photo from Kansas City Zoo)

PICS: 8 'vulnerable to extinction' macaroni penguins hatch at Missouri zoo 1

penguin
Photo credit (AP photo from Kansas City Zoo)

PICS: 8 'vulnerable to extinction' macaroni penguins hatch at Missouri zoo 2

penguin
Photo credit (AP photo from Kansas City Zoo)

PICS: 8 'vulnerable to extinction' macaroni penguins hatch at Missouri zoo 3