Humboldt Penguins at Brookfield Zoo
Humboldt penguins live along the western shores of South America in Peru and northern Chile. At Brookfield Zoo, you can find them at The Living Coast.
Humboldt Penguins
SSP Coordinator: Dr. Patty McGill, Senior Vice President, Animal Programs
Dr. Patty McGill, Humbodlt Penguin SSP Coordinator
“Since penguins live in colonies, I have to take an extra step when bringing males and females together for breeding. The birds don’t do well being transported alone. They need friends to keep them company at most all times.”
Brookfield Zoo
Humboldt penguins thrive in large groups, and so planning for the breeding season has to take place about two years in advance. There are a number of factors to consider when making breeding recommendations and travel arrangements because you aren’t joining one male and one female, but a whole group—sometimes consisting of up to 20 individuals.

As you can imagine, this gets quite complicated. Not only does Patty have to be sure that the males and females she pairs together have complimentary genetics, but she also has to be sure that there is no risk with any combination of males and females in the group. When they are all together, the birds can do whatever they want. Perhaps a male and female who were not intended to pair, take a liking to one another. It is all fair game!

Another distinctive challenge to breeding penguins is space. “We don’t want to breed animals if we’ve exceeded the space limit at our zoo, or cannot place them at another one,” adds Patty. “Since we work two years out to plan for this SSP, it’s important to be informed about the availability of space in all our fellow institutions.”

More on the Humboldt Penguin SSP:

  • Among the special attention required to breed large numbers of birds, Patty and her associates must also focus on the important dietary needs of the species. Penguins feed primarily on fish, and nutrients in this food source are crucial for fertility and egg laying.

    With the world’s oceans suffering from overfishing, it is difficult to acquire quality fish and also fish which comes from sustainable sources. To deal with these issues, Brookfield Zoo includes three types of fish in the penguins’ diet so that the birds do not become accustomed to a single type, thereby refusing to eat when it is not available.

  • Chicago Zoological Society has coordinated the SSP for Humboldt penguins since 1987. Other SSP management professionals at Brookfield Zoo include: Dr. Jean Dubach, Genetics Advisor, and Dr. Bob Lacey, Small Population Advisor.



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