Photos: Jordann Tomasek, Birch Aquarium
The Little Blue Penguin nesting season is officially underway at Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Several of our male penguins have been busy crafting nests inside cozy burrow boxes — all in the hopes of wooing a potential mate!
Nesting season is an important part of a penguin’s life cycle and also an exciting time to visit the aquarium. Guests have a unique opportunity to watch penguins gather nesting materials and see which pairs form for the season, offering an up-close look at their fascinating behaviors.
Home Sweet Burrow
Ever wondered how penguins build their nests? While nesting habits differ among species, Little Blue Penguins often choose burrows, caves or rocky crevices for their homes. Males venture out to gather grass, sticks and leaves to construct a nest, hoping to impress a female. It typically takes a few weeks to build the perfect nest. At the aquarium, our Penguin Care Team provides similar nesting materials and burrow boxes to encourage natural nesting and courtship behaviors.
Like any relationship, a little drama is inevitable. During breeding season, penguins often compete for mates, prime nesting spots and the “best” nest-building materials. However, this friendly rivalry is perfectly normal within a penguin colony. Our Penguin Care Team will closely monitor breeding interactions throughout the season, collecting valuable data to support the overall health and success of our penguin breeding program.
Egg-citing Times Ahead
If all goes well, nesting may result in a clutch of eggs (typically two) for the pair. During the incubation period, our team closely monitors both the egg and the penguins to support its development. However, not all eggs are fertile, and not every egg will successfully develop.
Although it’s still early in the breeding season, the aquarium remains hopeful about welcoming another generation of adorable chicks in the near future. Penguin enthusiasts can follow the aquarium’s social media channels for the latest updates.
About Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Birch Aquarium features the groundbreaking work of Scripps Oceanography and UC San Diego scientists as well as conservation breeding programs and interactive exhibits. Birch Aquarium’s mission is to connect understanding to protecting our ocean planet, which it achieves through engaging hands-on learning opportunities for more than 500,000 guests and 40,000-plus pre-K-12 students each year. Visit aquarium.ucsd.edu for more information.