First King Penguin Egg in Six Years Laid at Birdland

Keepers at Birdland Park & Gardens are celebrating after the Cotswold wildlife attraction welcomed its first king penguin egg in six years.

The precious egg was laid by French, one of Birdland’s younger female king penguins, and her partner Frank, the colony’s most experienced breeding male and father of the park’s famous king penguin chick Spike.

Laid early this week, the egg has been carefully moved to an incubator for safekeeping after keepers discovered Frank had positioned it between his feet rather than balancing it correctly on top.

Although slightly smaller than average at 298g, experts say there is still hope that the egg could prove fertile.

If successful, it would mark Birdland’s first king penguin chick since 2014, which also represented the last successful king penguin hatch anywhere in the UK.

King penguins are among the most challenging birds to breed, with eggs taking between 56 and 60 days to hatch and chicks requiring up to 16 months before they are fully fledged, one of the longest rearing periods of any bird species.

Head of Living Collection Alistair Keen said the arrival of the egg was an exciting milestone for the colony, although there was cautious optimism about the chances of success.

“French has reached breeding age for the first time and Frank has an outstanding track record as a parent, having previously fathered Spike,” he said.

“Frank is actually around eight years older than king penguins would typically live in the wild, so while the odds of fertility are lower, they are certainly not impossible.

“The egg is also a little smaller than we would normally expect, but nature has a habit of surprising us and we’re keeping everything crossed.

“Regardless of what happens, seeing this pair produce an egg after six years is wonderful news and an encouraging sign for the future of the colony.”

In the wild, king penguins breed on islands in the Southern Ocean and are famous for their strong pair bonds and extraordinary commitment to raising their young.

Keepers will now monitor the egg closely over the coming weeks, hoping the latest addition to the colony may eventually become the next chapter in Birdland’s long and successful history of king penguin conservation.