Baby penguins at Oregon Zoo emerge from nests, start to swim (video)

A Humboldt penguin chick explores the Oregon Zoo Penguinarium. (Oregon Zoo/ photo by Shervin Hess)

By Melissa Binder
on June 27, 2014

Three penguin chicks at the Oregon Zoo have emerged from their nests and are exploring their surroundings.

The Humboldt penguin chicks hatched in March. The chicks usually fledge at about 3 months old.
The chicks -- named Aqua, Xolas and Olle -- are almost as tall as the adult birds, but are gray and lack the tuxedo pattern. They'll grow into that outfit in a couple of years.

Wild Humboldt penguins live along the coast of Peru and Chile. The birds are classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, according to a release from the zoo, and were granted protection in 2010 under the United States Endangered Species Act.

Oregon Zoo visitors can see the young birds waddling around and swimming in the penguinarium, which was recently received upgrades to its water-filtration system as part of the 2008 bond measure.
Take a look at this video of the baby penguins swimming

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