Open the door to the Kovler Penguin and Seabird House and you’re greeted with a cacophony of calls from a variety of aquatic birds.

Rockhopper, chinstrap and king penguins all make their home in the zoo’s 18,000-gallon, temperature-controlled pool. In this habitat, a sophisticated computer system simulates the daylight cycle that penguins experience in the wild, stimulating their natural breeding cycles. Air temperature is maintained at 35 to 40°F and water at 40°F.

Puffins, murres and razorbills swim in a neighboring 10,000-gallon pool and inhabit rocky cliffs that simulate their native North Atlantic coastal environment.

FIELD NOTE Briny Bubbles Blowing bubbles and chasing ping-pong balls with penguins.