Our not-so-tiny penguin chick has a name! Meet Sparrow. Keepers chose the name to go along with Captain and Pearl’s names. Captain, Pearl and Sparrow are all names related to the Pirates of the Caribbean films, where the swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow commands the pirate ship, the Black Pearl. Since hatching on April 8, 2025, Sparrow has been growing fast — exploring the surroundings, developing juvenile plumage and learning to preen feathers.
Sparrow recently hit a big milestone: swimming! The chick is quickly growing in juvenile plumage, which is the first set of waterproof feathers that replaces the soft down chicks have before they fledge.
From belly-flop dives into the water and carrying items to the nest, to eating regurgitated fish from Captain and Pearl and napping on a tiny rock nearby the nest, Sparrow is stealing hearts in Water’s Edge: Africa.