Pittsburgh Zoo’s oldest penguin celebrates 40th birthday

PITTSBURGH — A beloved bird at Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium celebrated a milestone birthday on Sunday.

Mickey, the zoo’s oldest macaroni penguin, turned 40. Her birthday was celebrated with a colorful ice cake decorated with fish, shrimp and scallop icing, followed by games with colored ice piles and bubbles.

In the wild, penguins usually live 10-15 years. In the care of humans, they usually have a life expectancy of around 26 years.

Mickey is one of the oldest penguins in North America. She hatched in 1984 and came to Pittsburgh from SeaWorld San Diego in 2003.

The zoo says Mickey is the sweetest penguin in their colony and enjoys an early morning swim when she has the penguin pool to herself, followed by a long afternoon rest.

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