CONEY ISLAND — An adorable African penguin chick, born in December, recently joined his parents and other penguins at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, according to a press release from the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The baby bird weighed just 63.2 grams at birth and at three months, was roughly 7.5 pounds (3.4 kilograms).
The male chick marks the 19th hatching of an African penguin at the aquarium. There are 37 penguins on display at the aquarium’s Sea Cliffs habitat.
African penguin chick’s weight is measured during a veterinarian exam at New York Aquarium on December 12, 2025. Photo: WCS
One of the smallest species in the world, the African penguin has been listed as critically endangered due to scarcity of prey fish, habitat loss, human disturbance and other threats, WCS said.
The species is originally from South Africa and Namibia and its population has declined by 75% in the wild in the past 20 years, according to WCS. An estimated 9,900 breeding pairs still exist in the wild.
African penguin chick stands on a scale to be weighed during a veterinarian exam at New York Aquarium on January 28, 2026. Photo: WCSAfrican penguin chick is held by an animal keeper during a veterinarian exam at New York Aquarium on January 28, 2026. Photo: WCS
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