MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. The chicks of Humboldt penguins were born in the Moscow Zoo, the official website of the Moscow mayor reported.

"Penguins hatched in the Moscow Zoo. A total of three chicks of Humboldt penguins were born. This species is listed in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species as vulnerable," the report says.

Humboldt penguin gets its name after the famous German physicist, meteorologist, traveler and zoologist Alexander von Humboldt. In nature, these birds nest on the rocky coasts of Chile and Peru, where the cold Peruvian current passes. Therefore, the feathered birds were given a second name: Peruvian penguins.

"Peruvian penguins appeared in our collection in 1997, and since the early 2000s they have been regularly producing offspring. This year was no exception. One pair hatched two babies and the other pair hatched one. You can admire these amazing birds in the House of Birds pavilion of the old territory [of the Zoo]", the Moscow Zoo’s general director Svetlana Akulova said.

She added that so far the penguins spend most of the time hiding in burrows created among the stones in the enclosure. Caring parents take turns guarding the entrance to the dwellings and bringing their babies food. "But the curious fidgets still manage to stick their heads out to look around. Over the next two months, they will change their down to thicker chick plumage, which will allow them to finally take the plunge. Then the penguins will leave their secluded burrow and begin learning to swim in the pool," she said.