Chessington World of Adventures and Sea Life penguins come to Bourton

Birdland Park and Gardens in Bourton has welcomed nine Humboldt penguins.

It comes after the park was struck by avian malaria at the turn of the year, resulting in the deaths of six Humboldt penguins.

Head keeper Alistair Keen is delighted with the park’s new residents and is hoping to see chicks in the not-too-distant future.

He said: “The new arrivals are enjoying exploring their new home here and making friends with our resident penguins.

“Over the coming weeks and months we’re looking forward to them properly getting to know each other and keeping our fingers crossed that it won’t be too long before we start seeing nests being made.”

READ AGAIN: Four more penguins die at Cotswold attraction after suspected malaria outbreak

The Humboldts will share their new enclosure with England's only colony of King penguins (Image: Birdland)

The Humboldt is a South American penguin named after the water current they swim in which was discovered by Alexander von Humboldt.

In the wild they are under threat from climate change, overfishing and the acidification of the oceans and are now officially listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, meaning they are at immediate or imminent risk of becoming endangered.

Three males and three females have arrived from Chessington World of Adventures, with a further three males coming from Weymouth Sea Life Centre.

The penguins, aged between one and 12, share their new fishing village-themed enclosure with England’s only colony of King penguins.

ALSO READ: Birdland mourns the death of one of Europe’s oldest penguins

The park's flamingo flock are expecting a baby bloom this summer (Image: Birdland)

The Humboldts won’t be the only new arrivals at Birdland this summer.

The park’s flock of flamingos are expecting a baby boom, with a number of eggs due to hatch in the coming weeks.

Keepers believe the recent spell of settled weather has provided near-perfect breeding conditions for the flamingos.

The mini egg-laying spree among the flock has resulted in multiple nesting pairs each currently looking after a single egg.

Mr Keen added: “Both parents take it in turns to sit on the nests and we have created a series of artificial nesting spots made of concrete on an island in the middle of the lake.

“The usual incubation period for greater flamingos is about a month so we’re hoping to see them start to hatch out in the coming days or weeks.”