STAFF and visitors at a popular wildlife park are celebrating Penguin Awareness Day with the creatures themselves.

Birdland, Park and Gardens, in Bourton-on-the-Water, is marking the day with a host of fun activities.

Guests can watch the park's colony of King Penguins and Humboldts enjoy their nutritious fish lunch from 2.30pm, before entering a competition to win the chance to feed the birds themselves. 

Then, they can visit the three Humboldt chicks who are the newest penguins to be hand-reared at Birdland.

Head keeper Alistair Keen said: "Penguin Awareness Day is a great opportunity for the Keepers at Birdland to demonstrate what amazing creatures King Penguins and Humboldts are.

"Visitors can learn interesting and little-known facts about the colony at Penguin Shore as well as experience life as a Penguin Keeper.

"At Birdland we are part of the EEP, European Endangered Species Programmes, and I sit on the King Penguin Committee.

"We are committed to increasing the numbers and health of the endangered avian species."

Top Five King Penguin Facts

• The King penguin is the second largest penguin in the World. They are about three feet tall and weigh up to 35lbs.

• King penguins enjoy a game of football.

• In the wild they are found on sub-Antarctic islands including Crozet, Prince Edward, Kerguelen, South Georgia and Mazquarie Islands.

• King penguins hatch only one chick at a time. Their chicks have fuzzy brown feathers for about a year after they are born

• With up to 18 months of rearing, King Penguin chicks are the slowest chicks to reach independence of any bird!

Top Five Humboldt Penguin Facts

  • Humboldt Penguins are from warmer climates, along the coast of Chile and Peru.

• They are incredibly acrobatic! The rocky habitat has made them excellent climbers and they can jump with both legs balancing themselves with the help of their flippers.

• While hunting, they can stay underwater for up to two minutes.

• Humboldt penguins can have up to two incubation periods in one year, laying from two eggs each time.

• Humboldts, whilst looking after their offspring, call to each other with a braying sound, like a donkey.