Audubon Aquarium Welcomes Critically Endangered Penguin Chick

Audubon Aquarium is adding one more to the colony of African penguins, and guests at the Aquarium can get a front row view while the newcomer grows. A critically endangered African penguin chick hatched on February 11, 2026, and is inside a special part of the Aquarium designed specifically to allow guests to watch the animal care team tend to the little one.

The Aquarium’s new “Care Corner” houses incubators and special holding boxes to give the chick warmth and comfort, and the Aquarium’s animal care team will feed the chick round-the-clock as it grows. Daily feeding times are 7:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. giving guests plenty of chances to watch as the hungry little one is fed. A large viewing window allows guests to watch the young penguin throughout the day.

The chick is the offspring of Hubig and Ocio, a prolific pair who have several of their past chicks residing in the Aquarium’s colony including Moon, Titan, and Calypso. The pair are sitting on a second egg, and once it hatches will raise that chick for three weeks before the animal care teams take over its care. Early handling by the animal care team helps the birds become accustomed to human interaction and allows them to participate in their health care throughout their lives.

“Separating the two eggs gives both the best chance at survival,” said Higinio Covarubbias, Audubon Aquarium’s Director of Husbandry. “Hubig and Ocio are experienced parents, but raising two chicks in the nest could be difficult. By allowing them to raise one while the other hatched in an incubator gives both chicks a headstart. These are the most endangered species of penguin in the world, and every chick hatched in human care is a safeguard against extension of this species.”   

The birds are found on the coast of South Africa and are threatened by habitat loss, overfishing of their food sources, and are susceptible to oil spills and other environmental conditions.