Birdland renames king penguin after discovering he'd been misgendered for years

Magnus - previously Maggie - the penguin Credit: Birdland

A penguin in Gloucestershire who was mistakenly thought to be female for eight years has now been given a male name.

Staff at Birdland Park and Gardens, in Bourton-on-the-Water, believed the king penguin was female and referred to him as Maggie.

He arrived at the site in 2016 from Denmark as part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria ex-situ programme (EAZA EEP) and was said to settle in well.

However 'Maggie', who is 10, started showing some unusual behaviours around a male king penguin called Frank when the pair tried to mate.

Staff have said the discovery that Maggie is actually Magnus is "another unique hurdle" in their efforts to get the birds to breed. Credit: Birdland.

Keepers then sent off one of Maggie's feathers for DNA analysis, which confirmed that he is, in fact, a male penguin.

Maggie has now been renamed Magnus by staff, and the mix-up was announced on the Gloucestershire site's Facebook page.

Alistair Keen, head keeper at Birdland, said: “Discovering that Magnus is actually a male and his gender differs from what we initially believed presents another unique hurdle in our efforts to establish a successful breeding program here in the UK.

"It’s fascinating however to have confirmed what we’ve long suspected, and we remain committed to supporting these incredible birds in every way possible."

Staff began to realise Maggie might actually be a Magnus when he exhibited unusual behaviour with his male friend, Frank - seen here. Credit: Birdland.

King penguins live and breed on sub-Antarctic islands around the South Pole, though there are thought to be a few colonies in South America in Patagonia. They are the second largest species of penguin and can weigh up to 18 kilos.

They are listed as 'vulnerable' by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but they are one of the few penguin species whose numbers are stable.

Birdland is one of only two sites in the UK believed to be home to king penguins, with the other location being Edinburgh Zoo. It is also home to one of the largest collections of exotic birds in the country.