PENGUIN CHICK HATCHES AT NATIONAL AVIARY (and another is on the way!)
See the Baby Chick Live Via Nest Cam at www.PenguinNestCam.org

PenguinNestCam.org is presented by People's Natural Gas.

December 18, 2017 (Pittsburgh, PA) – The first of two African Penguin eggs tucked away in a nest at the National Aviary's Penguin Point exhibit hatched on December 16, right on schedule. And thanks to a newly installed high-resolution, infrared web camera, viewers are getting an intimate view of the chick and its parents, Bette and Sidney, inside the nesting cave without any disruption to the growing penguin family.

National Aviary's African Penguin specialists heard vocalizations from the chick coming from the nest early this morning, and estimate that the chick hatched yesterday. A second egg remains in the nest. It is expected to hatch within the next few days.

Viewers can expect to see Sidney and Bette incubating the second egg while simultaneously keeping the first chick warm. A newly hatched African Penguin chick is slightly larger than a golf ball in size, so viewers may not easily see it right away, but they may see the parents nuzzling the nest area with their beaks to reposition the chick or remaining egg.

When an African Penguin chick is hatched, the yolk sac is still attached to provide initial nutrition. After the yolk sac is absorbed, the chick will start begging for food, and the parents will feed it a diet of partially digested fish several times a day. Both parents will take turns tending the nest throughout the chick-rearing process.

If all goes as anticipated, the penguin chicks will remain in the nest for the first three weeks. They will then be moved inside to be cared for by National Aviary experts until they are old enough to return to their colony in Penguin Point, where they will join 20 other African Penguins. This special upbringing will ensure the chicks receive the highest standards of care possible and that they are prepared for their future roles as ambassadors for their species.

The National Aviary's Penguin Point exhibit is home to 20 African Penguins. African Penguins are a critically endangered species, with less than 25,000 remaining the wild. As part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP), the National Aviary's penguins are part of an important breeding program to ensure a healthy population of African Penguins for future generations.

People around the world have been logging on to the live streaming web cam at www.PenguinNestCam.org to wait for the arrival at the chicks. The camera and installation services were generously donated by M&P Security Solutions, Inc., a veteran-owned business serving the Greater Pittsburgh Area. PenguinNestCam.org is presented by People's Natural Gas.

The public is invited to watch the nest at www.PenguinNestCam.org. For photos, updates and exclusive content on the penguin chicks as they grow, follow the National Aviary on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and join the conversation by using #penguinchickPGH.

About the National Aviary
The National Aviary is America's only independent indoor nonprofit zoo dedicated exclusively to birds. Located on Pittsburgh's historic North Side, the National Aviary's diverse collection comprises 500 birds representing more than 150 species from around the world, many of them threatened or endangered in the wild. The National Aviary's large walk-through exhibits create an intimate, up-close interaction between visitors and free-flying birds, including opportunities to hand-feed and to meet many species rarely found in zoos anywhere else in the world. Hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily. For admission rates and more information visit www.aviary.org.

Laura J. Ellis
Ellis Communications
412.952.7844
laurajellis@comcast.net