P-p-pick up a pebble for penguin breeding season

01/03/2016 in Edinburgh Zoo

The female gentoo penguins at Penguins Rock at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo want only one thing this penguin breeding season, and that’s to be wooed with a nice, shiny pebble.

Keepers at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo placed the annual penguin nest rings and pebbles into Penguins Rock on 1 March to kick off the penguins’ annual breeding season. The pebbles are the gentoos’ version of engagement rings, which the males use to court a potential mate. As soon as the pebbles were placed in Penguins Rock, the black and white birds made a mad dash to pick out the perfect pebble in order to woo a future partner.

The keepers will place the pebbles in a large heart-shape to celebrate the start of breeding season and to make it that little bit more special for the gentoos.

Dawn Nicol, Penguin Keeper at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, said: “The start of penguin breeding season is the busiest time of the year for bird keepers, but it is also the most exciting. Every year when we place the pebbles and nest rings into Penguins Rock we love to see the penguins dash off to pick out perfect pebbles and present it to their mate. It is also always nice to see how well the pairs look after each other and their eggs, as both parents will share the responsibility of incubating and raising the chicks.

“Once the gentoos have found a mate and filled their nests with the best looking pebbles, the first eggs should start to appear in April, with the first hatchings in May after a 33-35 day incubation period.”

The penguins are given a large selection of pebbles to choose from, but the gentoos will often steal the prettier looking pebbles from their neighbours, which results in a fair bit of Penguins Rock drama. The female gentoos will place their shiny new pebbles in the nest rings which they will then lay their eggs into.

Penguins will often choose to court the same mate for breeding season; however, contrary to popular belief, not all penguins mate for life as some choose to go their separate ways. Same sex penguin partnerships are not uncommon and they tend to make great parents, as keepers will redistribute eggs from nests which have too many and give them to same sex partnered penguins to rear.

Meanwhile, on Monday 29 February, the rockhopper penguins were moved up to their own enclosure for breeding season, which suits their natural breeding behaviour perfectly. The keepers are hopeful for rockhopper chicks this year as many of the younger birds have reached sexual maturity. Rockhoppers are currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, but due to rapidly declining populations they may be listed as Endangered in the near future, making the hatching of chicks all the more important to ensure a safety-net population for this increasingly threatened species.

The RZSS Edinburgh Zoo penguin cams have been moved over to the gentoo nesting site to allow fans to keep up with all the nesting activity. Viewers may see the penguins carrying stones and placing them in the centre of the nest, which creates a useful protective barrier for the eggs and future chicks. As an extra protection measure, some birds may be seen lying down and kicking out stones with their feet to create a crevice in the middle of the nest. You can watch all the gentoo nesting activity here: http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/webcams/penguin-cam/

Gentoo penguins are the most northerly of the Antarctic penguins, found normally on the rocky islands of the sub-Antarctic Ocean. They are the third largest species of penguin, after king and emperor penguins. Gentoos can be distinguished by a white patch around and behind the eye and a bright orange-red bill. Gentoos are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.

…ends…

Photocall

Date: Wednesday 2 March 2016

Time: 12:00pm

Where: Penguins Rock at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, 134 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 6TS (please arrive via front entrance)

Notes to editors:

• Penguins have been an integral part of RZSS Edinburgh Zoo for over 100 years and the Zoo has the largest outdoor penguin pool in the Europe. They were one of the first species that arrived and the Zoo and the Society became world renowned when they were the first outside the southern hemisphere to breed king penguins.
• The world famous daily Penguin Parade began in 1951 when a keeper accidentally left the gate open and the penguins went for a short walk and then returned to their enclosure – keepers still open the gate every day at 2.15pm and bird who voluntarily wants to take part goes for a short walk outside of their enclosure.
• The main pool is a 65 metre long main pool, which is 3.5 metres at its deepest point.
• RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is home to three different species of penguin: gentoos, rockhoppers and king penguins.
• RZSS Edinburgh Zoo currently only houses male king penguins.

• Penguins Rock, the revamped outdoor penguin pool at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, opened in March 2013 to members of the public.

About RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland

• In 2015 Edinburgh Zoo changed its name to RZSS Edinburgh Zoo
• RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is set in 82 acres of sloping parkland, just a stone’s throw away from Edinburgh’s bustling city centre. In its 101 year history the Zoo has been home to many famous animal residents, more recently the UK’s only giant pandas, Tian and Yang Guang, and UK’s only koalas, including the first joey born on British soil in 2013
• RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), a registered charity, charity no SC004064
• The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland was founded by visionary lawyer Thomas Gillespie, the Society was set up in 1909 ‘to promote, facilitate and encourage the study of zoology and kindred subjects and to foster and develop amongst the people an interest in and knowledge of animal life’. The Society still exists to connect people with nature and safeguard species from extinction.
• For further information on all our conservation projects and events, please visit our website – www.edinburghzoo.org.uk 
• RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA). BIAZA represents its member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums. For further information please telephone 020 7449 6351

 

For further information please contact:

Gavrielle Kirk-Cohen, PR Coordinator for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, on 0131 314 0383 or gkirkcohen@rzss.org.uk

Rachel Goddard, PR Manager for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, on 0131 314 0312 or rgoddard@rzss.org.uk

OR media@rzss.org.uk