Trio of Penguin chicks hatched at Birdland

A TRIO of penguin chicks has hatched out at Birdland Park & Gardens in Gloucestershire, England. All three, which were born in July at the wildlife attraction are doing well and keepers are pleased to see how they are rapidly growing. 

#Birdland is home to a colony of captive-bred Humboldt penguins who live alongside Britain’s only breeding group of king penguins.

Head keeper Alistair Keen said: ‘This year we created a series of nesting sites within the rockwork of their display. The nesting areas mimic those in the wild and definitely seem to be working well as there are a number of pairs who have been sitting on eggs and displaying typical courtship and nesting behaviour.’

Originally from South America, the Humboldt penguin is found in and around coastal Peru and Chile. The penguin gets its name from the cold water current it swims in, which was discovered by the explorer Alexander von Humboldt.

Humboldt penguins can live for more than 30 years in captivity. In the wild, they are under threat from climate change, overfishing, and acidification of the oceans. They are now officially listed as 'vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Birdland has more than 500 birds.

www.birdland.co.uk

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Celebrate World Penguin Day

APRIL 25, is World #Penguin Day. In England, it can be celebrated at #Birdland Park & Gardens in Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds. 

Its newly-renovated Penguin Shore is home to Britain’s only breeding group of King Penguins.

Highlights include the twice-daily penguin feeds and talks by the head keeper.

Adults £9.95, children £6.95 (3-16), under 3s free

www.birdland.co.uk

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Birds behaving badly

#BIRDLAND in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, is celebrating birds behaving badly over the February #halftermholidays. 

From blood-sucking songbirds and puking penguins to stinking storks and spitting swallows, keepers will reveal revolting facts about some of the world's naughtiest birds.

There will be talks and trails highlighting the horrible aspects of natural history, and visitors will be able to meet some feathered critters during meet-the-creatures sessions.

‘Despite their often angelic reputations, birds are definitely among the worst behaved animals on the planet with some truly disgusting table manners,’ says head keeper Alistair Keen. ‘They have also devised devilish defences and awfully amazing attacking abilities. The so-called stink bird from New Guinea eats toxic beetles and then converts it into poison which covers its wings.’

Birdland has also created a Jurassic Journey, an interactive trail back to the time when dinosaurs roamed the Cotswolds.

The centre has more than 500 birds, ranging from the UK's only breeding colony of king penguins and parrots to cassowaries and cranes in a mix of free-flying and aviary displays.

www.birdland.co.uk

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Myths & legends at Birdland

VISITORS will be able to let their imagination loose at #BirdlandPark, Bourton-on-the-Water, during the October half term holidays with a #Halloween themed Myths & Legends week (October 24-November 1) and the Jurassic Journey Trail.

There will be talks which will explain why owls are thought to be wise, where the legend of the phoenix came from, and why the Roman believed the call of a certain bird meant imminent death … plus quiz trails, close encounter sessions, and feeding displays.

On the Jurassic Journey Trail, explorers will be armed with dinosaur tracker kits for a roam across a land that was home to more than 30 different dinosaurs.

Birdland – in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire – opens daily from 10am.

www.birdland.co.uk

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Picture Credit: www.birdland.co.uk