Egg-citing news!
Between November 2022 and January 2024, our African penguin colony expanded by an unprecedented 10 chicks. View our press release to learn more!
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You know them. You love them. But can you name them? Identify the Academy's African penguins with this field guide to our colony.
Our birds may look similar, but their colored wing bands (and unique penguin-alities) help staff and guests tell them apart. Males are banded on the right wing, females on the left, and couples typically share a wing band color. Enjoy observing our penguins frolic, feed, swim, and preen!
Penguin feedings are 10:30 am and 3 pm daily. Tune in to our live penguin webcam, streaming 24/7!
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Nandi
Sex: Female
Wing band: Maroon w/ white stripe (left)
Hatched: Jan. 2024
Partner: Unpaired
Nandi, currently the youngest bird in the colony, means "sweet" in Zulu. She is living up to her name.
Nelson
Sex: Male
Wing band: Red w/ white stripe (right)
Hatched: Nov. 2023
Partner: Unpaired
Nelson is a water baby. Watch our underwater webcam on YouTube to see him in action under the surface.
Fyn
Sex: Female
Wing band: Pink w/ black stripe (left)
Hatched: Aug. 2023
Partner: Unpaired
Hatched to parents Stanlee and Bernie, Fyn graduated from “fish school” and joined the colony in January. Her excitable antics have spiced up the colony.
Lazola
Sex: Male
Wing band: Black w/ white stripe (right)
Hatched: Feb. 2023
Partner: Unpaired
Lazola is an attention hog. The youngest of Poppy and Darcy’s three chicks, he has been known to push other birds out of the way in his quest for the spotlight.
Ignatz
Sex: Male
Wing band: White w/ black stripe (right)
Hatched: Feb. 2023
Partner: Unpaired
Iggie gets a kick out of pinching biologists for extra fish during feeding time. The second-youngest of Poppy and Darcy’s three chicks, he hatched three days before brother Lazola.
Tule
Sex: Female
Wing band: Yellow (left)
Hatched: Dec. 2019
Partner: Grendel
Tule has spots above her eyes that look like eyelashes. She loves collecting material for her nest box. With her beak in everybody’s business, Tule is never far from colony conflicts and squabbles.
Poppy
Sex: Female
Wing band: Orange (left)
Hatched: Jan. 2018
Partner: Darcy
Poppy is Tule's sister. A dedicated shell collector, you can often find her foraging the habitat's "seafloor" for shells to bring back to the nest box she shares with Darcy.
Stanlee
Sex: Female
Wing band: Teal (left)
Hatched: Nov. 2018
Partner: Bernie
Stanlee has small white dots on her back, slightly unusual for this species. Loud and proud, she and Bernie love to bray. Green felt is her favorite nesting material.
Parker
Sex: Female
Wing band: Blue (left)
Hatched: Jan. 2016
Partner: Tux
Parker hatched at the Academy, spent several years at the San Diego Zoo, and is now back in her hometown. She and Tux are fierce defenders of their nest box.
Bernie
Sex: Male
Wing band: Teal (right)
Hatched: Nov. 2015
Partner: Stanlee
Bernie is the colony’s best nesting material collector and often collects alongside Stanlee—but they are not above stealing from each other. He occasionally miscalculates a step and falls off the bridge.
Darcy
Sex: Male
Wing band: Orange (right)
Hatched: Feb. 2013
Partner: Poppy
Along with Dunker, Darcy is one of our two biggest birds. He’s a bit of a jock, able to catch fish with ease both in and out of water.
Ty
Sex: Female
Wing band: Green (left)
Hatched: Jan. 2011
Partner: Robben
Ty is a picky eater, preferring herring almost exclusively. During feedings, she’ll run up to a biologist, grab her meal, and then quickly run away. An experienced mother, she’s raised lots of chicks.
Dunker (right)
Sex: Male
Wing band: Red (right)
Hatched: Mar. 2007
Partner: Kianga
Along with Darcy, Dunker is one of our two biggest birds. He’s easily recognizable thanks to the unique plumage on his back that resembles a cowlick. He's an excellent foster parent.
Kianga (middle)
Sex: Female
Wing band: Red (left)
Hatched: May 2007
Partner: Dunker
One of our smallest birds, Kianga has a distinctive arched beak. While she and Dunker haven’t had any offspring of their own, they have successfully fostered several chicks, including Pogo in late-2022.
Pete
Sex: Male
Wing band: Purple (right)
Hatched: July 2007
Partner: Opal
Pete is a messy eater. His partner Opal is the most senior member of the colony, but that doesn’t stop him from flirting with Holly, one of our senior biologists.
Tux
Sex: Male
Wing band: Blue (right)
Hatched: July 2006
Partner: Parker
Tux is a homebody, preferring to relax in—and defend—his nest box than swim and socialize. His eyes are noticeably puffier than the other birds’.
Robben
Sex: Male
Wing band: Green (right)
Hatched: Sep. 2001
Partner: Ty
Robben is a good father—and a lousy neighbor. Always on the lookout for better real estate, he won’t hesitate to boot other birds out of their nest boxes if he decides it’s his turn.
Grendel
Sex: Male
Wing band: Yellow (right)
Hatched: Oct. 1991
Partner: Tule
While not nearly as beastly as his Beowulfian namesake, this sassy senior bird will bite your shins. Grendel and Tule enjoy exploring the habitat together and checking in on their humans.
Opal
Sex: Female
Wing band: Purple (left)
Hatched: Feb. 1988
Partner: Pete
The eldest member of our colony, Opal’s feats of athleticism belie her age. Still spry, she has perfected the art and science of catching fish in midair.
Watch our colony of playful African penguins waddle, swim, flirt, and nest on three live webcams.
Kids ages 4-8 will love becoming penguin pros with 12+ hands-on activities organized by days of the week.
African penguins establish strong pair bonds and use complex forms of communication in their social groups.