Rare penguin hatches at Birmingham aquarium

A rare baby penguin has hatched at an aquarium in Birmingham.

The new Gentoo penguin has been nicknamed 'Flash' due to its quick arrival.

Flash's parents have travelled thousands of miles in an aeroplane to conceive as part of the Sea Life's global breeding programme.

His feathered parents; one-year-old male Prince and four-year-old mother Hyacinth have been caring for the colony’s new addition since its hatching.

'Flash' is a rare Gentoo penguin and was born in a Birmingham aquarium Credit: National Sea Life Centre Birmingham

The Sea Life team will be able to discover the gender of the baby in the coming months.

Populations of Gentoo penguins have declined rapidly in recent years owing to the birds’ sensitive breeding nature and damage to their habitats from tourism, pollution and the illegal collection of their eggs.

The species has been listed as ‘near threatened’ on the IUCN red list for many years and colonies like Prince’s may one day provide a vital lifeline for the threatened species.