THE THREE ‘TODDLER’ HUMBOLDT PENGUINS NOW AT KIDS KINGDOM AT THE PITTSBURGH ZOO AND AQUARIUM | PHOTO BY NAOMI GIRSON

If you’re a fan of penguins — the swimming kind, not the ones skating on ice at PPG Arena — you’ll see a new species this summer at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. It recently added a baker’s dozen of Humboldt penguins to Kids Kingdom, as well as a trio of brown pelicans.

The Humboldt penguins are the third species of the flightless bird that are populating the zoo. Unlike the gentoo and the macaroni penguins who make up the current Pittsburgh penguin family, the Humboldt originated from South America, living along the rocky coast of Peru and Chile.

Tiffani Thompson, curator of Kids Kingdom, says after the zoo moved its penguin flock to the former sea lion pool at in Kids Kingdom, they brainstormed on what new species they could introduce to the open area before landing on the temperate species of penguins.

Among the new  characters are Juice, Charlie Chaplin, Zara and Topper. Six of the lot came from the Philadelphia Zoo and four from Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. In addition, three recently hatched at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and were moved here.

The three “toddlers,” as Tiffani Thompson affectionately calls them, are Lillie (named after Thompson’s daughter), Baby Dave and Pippin.

While all the other Humboldts were swimming in the water on a recent sunny morning, the three juveniles stuck together waddling from zookeeper to zookeeper, picking at shoelaces and pant legs before the sun got too hot and they dove into the water to cool off.

Though, the chicks are less flighty than the adults, they surprisingly are teaching the grownups a thing or two about their newish habitat.

THE THREE ‘TODDLER’ HUMBOLDT PENGUINS, WHICH JOINED 10 OTHER ADULT HUMBOLDTS AS NEW ADDITIONS TO THE PENGUIN FLOCK AT PITTSBURGH ZOO & AQUARIUM. | PHOTO BY NAOMI GIRSON

“The adults, they’re kind of scaredy birds. They are a prey animal and a predator, but more prey animals, and so if something comes up behind them that’s not in their sight line…it’s terrifying,” Thompson says. “The chicks have really helped calm the adults down when trying to show them the ramp, or they have access to the small pool that’s inside the polar flap.”

Thompson says once the zoo veterinarians give the OK, they’re going to start introducing live fish to the adult penguins so they can start to hunt on their own.

The Humboldts spend their time swimming, playing with various balls and toys, and Thompson muses that she would love it if the zoo could get a wave machine for the habitat one day.

The only penguin not swimming was Tribbiani, who stayed back in a corner since he was going through the dreaded moulting process.

Moulting is a once-a-year refresh of their feathers, where the old feathers are pushed out by the new ones, making the Humboldts temporarily gain an extra third of their normal body weight.

They have to stay out of the water during the four-week moulting process. They tend to be pretty miserable during the process, but the aftermath leaves them with a shiny new coat and a weight off their shoulders, Thompson says.

“Penguins are near and dear to the hearts of Pittsburghers, so adding another species in addition to the Aquarium’s current population of penguins is a natural fit for both the Zoo’s mission and civic pride,” says Zoo President & CEO Dr. Jeremy Goodman in a press release. “The birds provide a vital conservation message concerning the plight of penguins this species faces.”

There are an estimated 30,000 Humboldt penguins left in the world, considered “vulnerable,” according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. The recommendation for the Pittsburgh Zoo to take in the new species comes directly from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Humboldt Penguin Species Survival Program; it hopes the zoo can be a breeding area for the species.

The brown pelicans are a smaller cohort of three — Felicity, Joey and Pierre. They were all rescued with broken wings so they could not be released back into the wild. Instead, they get to live it up at the zoo, being fed their favorite fish. Their species is no longer on the endangered species list but they are all still protected by the Migratory Bird Act, according to a Pittsburgh Zoo press release.

The pelicans are in the same habitat as the Humboldts but stay on their side of the den soaking up the sun. Their wings can still flap, and they can get some air time, but Thompson said they can no longer get the height they require to hunt on their own and swoop down for prey. They can go in the water, Thompson says, but they are too buoyant to sink all the way down like the penguins.

The Pittsburgh Zoo in Highland Park is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and the Humboldt penguins and brown pelicans can be found in the former sea lion pool, located near the entrance of Kids Kingdom.