A third tiny Magellanic penguin chick has joined the famous colony in Chicago,

A statement from Shedd Aquarium, in Chicago, Illinois, said that the fuzzy penguin chick hatched on Wednesday, May 12.

It weighed in at 78 grams during its first check-up with the animal care team and joins the two earlier arrivals that hatched earlier this month.

In a Facebook post, the Shedd Aquarium said: “These little penguins grow incredibly fast and reach full size in just three months, making this new arrival appear tiny next to the older chicks.”

According to the aquarium, all three penguin chicks continue to grow and meet important markers.

Earlier they said that “the most important milestone is weight gain to indicate that the hatchlings are getting all the essential nutrients to help them grow”.

Shedd Aquarium said that the new penguin chicks “contribute to Shedd Aquarium’s participation in a conservation effort among accredited partners by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in a cooperatively managed Species Survival Plan for Magellanic penguins” (Spheniscus magellanicus)

The AZA is an American non-profit organisation that has been around for nearly a century (it was founded in 1924). Its goal is to foster progress at zoos and public aquariums regarding conservation, science, recreation and education.

They also said that these penguins are “are listed as nearly threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).”

The aquarium said that the penguin chicks will take two to three months to reach a mature size, after which, they will continue to be monitored to ensure they are properly fed and hydrated.

Magellathisnic penguins under threat from a variety of problems in the wild including oil spills, climate change, and the increased exposure to pollution caused by humans.

They are a South American penguin, and can usually be found in the reading rounds in Patagonia, sometimes migrating as far north as Brazil.