Same-Sex Penguin Pair Recently Welcomed 'Healthy' Chick, Zoo Says

A pair of same-sex Humboldt penguins in Syracuse, New York, recently welcomed a "healthy" chick, Syracuse.com reported.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo confirmed the exciting news in a press release on Friday and explained that the hatchling is the zoo's "first chick to hatch from an egg cared for by a pair of male penguins who are now raising the chick together."

Humboldt penguins are native to the coastal regions of Peru and Chile, said the Saint Louis Zoo on its website.

In their natural habitats, these penguins lay their eggs in "layers of dried guano," or "poop," left behind by seabirds; however, some, the Saint Lous Zoo added, also nest in "rocky crevices."

"The male arrives at a site a few days before the female and prepares the nest burrow. He uses his wings and feet to push and mold the guano into the shape he wants, then gathers soil, rocks, and sometimes grasses to finish it off," the Saint Louis Zoo explained.

Then, the female lays two white eggs, and the parents take turns sitting on those eggs until they hatch.

Unfortunately, these penguins' breeding habits are being disrupted.

In its press release, the Rosamond Gifford Zoo further explained that, due to habitat loss and climate change, Humboldt penguins are now considered "vulnerable." In 2005, the zoo joined the Species Survival Plan for Humboldt penguins and have since hatched more than 55 chicks, including the newest chick announced on Friday.

Before the chick was born, however, its foster parents—Elmer and Lima—were given a "dummy" egg to care for in the fall.

"Some pairs, when given a dummy egg, will sit on the nest but leave the egg to the side and not incubate it correctly, or they'll fight for who is going to sit on it when," said zoo director Ted Fox in the zoo's press release.

"That's how we evaluate who will be good foster parents—and Elmer and Lima were exemplary in every aspect of egg care," he continued.

Because they did so well with the dummy egg, Elmer and Lima were entrusted with a real egg to incubate in December. And on New Year's Day, their foster chick hatched.

"[The chick] continues to be brooded and cared for by both Elmer and Lima, who are doing a great job. And once they have experience doing this and continue to do it well, they will be considered to foster future eggs," Fox shared.

"Elmer and Lima's success at fostering is one more story that our zoo can share to help people of all ages and backgrounds relate to animals," he concluded.