Coney Island, N.Y. – March 26, 2026 – A Critically Endangered African penguin chick has hatched at the WCS New York Aquarium, joining his parents and 36 other African penguins in the Sea Cliffs habitat.

The male chick weighed just 63.2 grams at birth on December 4 and has now grown to about 3.4 kilograms at just over three months old. Keepers closely monitored his development, tracking weight gain, feather growth from soft down to waterproof plumage, and the acquisition of key behaviors like social interaction, swimming, and hopping.

This is the 19th African penguin hatching at the New York Aquarium. The breeding program is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan under the Saving Animals From Extinction® (SAFE) Program, a collective effort across more than 50 accredited zoos and aquariums to preserve the species. Since 2005, the SSP population has increased by 47%, maintaining over 98% genetic diversity.

African penguins are flightless birds native to the rocky coasts of South Africa and Namibia. They are among the smallest penguin species and are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Wild populations have declined by 75% in the past two decades due to prey scarcity, human disturbance, habitat loss, and other threats, with only about 9,900 breeding pairs remaining.

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