Endangered Northern Rockhopper penguin eggs hatch at Edinburgh Zoo

The Northern Rockhopper penguins are endangered due to climate change, changes in marine ecosystems and overfishing.

Two endangered penguin eggs have successfully hatched at Edinburgh Zoo.

The Northern Rockhopper penguins are threatened due to climate change, changes in marine ecosystems and overfishing.

"The first 30 days are critical for their development, so we will be keeping a close eye on them at this sensitive time," said the zoo's senior penguin keeper Dawn Nicoll.

Keepers are hopeful two Gentoo penguin eggs will begin hatching soon as well.

"All going well, it won't be long before visitors can spot the youngsters with the rest of our colony at Penguins Rock," Ms Nicoll added.

Edinburgh Zoo is home to more than 100 penguins from three species: King, Northern Rockhopper and Gentoo.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is part of a European breeding programme for northern rockhopper penguins.

It has been working to safeguard the species in the wild and has been carrying out genetic analysis in the zoo to understand connections between the breeding populations on remote islands in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.