King Penguin ‘Maggie’ Is Renamed ‘Magnus’ After Being Misgendered by Zookeepers for Years
Feather DNA testing revealed that the 10-year-old penguin was male after zookeepers observed unexpected mating habits with another penguin named Frank
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A king penguin.A British wildlife park is down to only one female king penguin in their breeding colony after discovering they have been misgendering one of their females for over eight years.
In a post on their official Instagram account, Birdland Park and Gardens — a bird sanctuary located in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire — revealed that a 10-year-old king penguin named “Maggie” is now known as “Magnus.”
“Surprise News! Many of you will have visited and met Maggie, one of our beloved King Penguins…” Birdland Park said in the post. “But after some DNA testing, we’ve discovered that Maggie is actually Magnus!”
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Magnus was bred in Odense, Denmark, and arrived at the wildlife park in 2016. For years, zookeepers were under the impression that he was a female. But they soon observed him engaging in unexpected mating behavior with another male king penguin named Frank.
“Magnus seemed to settle in well, even catching the attention of fellow penguin Frank,” a spokesman for Birdland told The Telegraph.
After Magnus continued to attempt mating with Frank, suspicions grew, and he was given his new name. Birdland then sent feather samples out for DNA testing, confirming Magnus is a male.
"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 U.K.," Alistair Keen, the head keeper at Birdland, told The Telegraph. "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."
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Two king penguins photographed in St. Andrew's Bay, Georgia.Related: Pesto the Baby Penguin Goes Viral as 9-Month-Old Eats 25 Fish a Day
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With the revelation that Magnus is a male, Birdland Park is left with one female in their breeding colony, a 30-year-old king penguin named Bill. At one point, Bill, too, also misled keepers into thinking she was male due to her large size at birth. So this isn’t the first time Birdland Park has had a penguin gender mixup.
According to The Telegraph, Bill won’t be the sole female bachelorette of the wildlife park for long. To “preserve the future of the colony,” a young female will be acquired from a zoo in Germany. Birdland hopes that she will be marching her way into the park by January 2025.
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