Penguin chicks introduced to outdoor enclosure

New penguin chicks are being introduced to their outdoor enclosure

Two penguin chicks hand-reared at a bird park are being introduced to their outdoor enclosure.

Birdland park in Bourton-on-the-Water, in Gloucestershire, is gradually introducing the pair of Humboldt penguin chicks to their colony.

Two other young chicks, reared in the nest by first-time parents Broady and Kat, and Big Mac and Cookie, have also begun venturing out independently into public view.

The park has said the chicks are part of their most successful breeding season in almost a decade.

The outdoor visits help the chicks to adapt to the sounds, sights and social dynamics of colony life, while giving adult birds time to adjust to the new arrivals.

The park has yet to name the new arrivals, with keepers expecting to launch a public naming competition later in the season.

It is the first time all three of the park's established breeding pairs have produced viable eggs.

With four healthy chicks thriving and another egg still under close incubation, it is the strongest season since 2017.

Humboldt penguins are classed as a species vulnerable to extinction.

The team at Birdland is involved with international monitoring efforts and supports field conservation in Peru through its collaboration with Penguins International.