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Flamingo And Penguin Chicks Hatch At Jacksonville Zoo

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is showing off its latest additions.

Last month two penguin chicks and two flamingo chicks hatched.

The  Magellanic penguins hatched two days apart, on June 16 and 18. They weighed in at less than a pound each. Both chicks are thriving under the care of their proud parents, according to the zoo.

The zoo will put them on public exhibit at the Tuxedo Coast when they are about three months of age.

The first greater flamingo chick hatched on June 21, followed by the second on June 27.

The younger of the two flamingos can be seen on exhibit with its parents, while the older one is being hand-reared. It will continue to be looked after by its keepers until it is old enough to join the rest of the flock, according to a news release from the zoo.

The zoo is holding a “who’s the cutest” competition for the chicks on its Facebook page. The contest runs through July 13.

Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.

Bill joined WJCT News in September of 2017 from The Florida Times-Union, where he served in a variety of multimedia journalism positions.