🎈 Happy birthday, Mickey! Pittsburgh Zoo's macaroni penguin turns 35

PITTSBURGH — Mickey, Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium's macaroni penguin, is celebrating her 35th birthday!

She is now part of a unique club -- Mickey is now one of the oldest living penguins in the U.S., the zoo said.

The normal life span of a macaroni penguin is 15 to 20 years in the wild. They can live into their mid-30s in zoos.

"Despite her age, Mickey is doing well," said penguin keeper Jessica Ries. "She still loves to swim which is a good indicator of fitness."

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For Mickey's birthday, her keepers will give her an ice-block cake filled with her favorite foods, including smelt and capelin.

Here are some fun facts about Mickey:

• Mickey was born in 1984 and arrived in Pittsburgh in 2003.
• She shares a birthday with Mickey Mouse.
• Macaroni penguins are named after the 18th-century fashion style of English gentlemen who wore bright yellow feathers in their hats. The macaroni's yellow feathers on their head are similar to the hat feathers, hence their name.
• All 18 species of penguins are now listed as vulnerable due to loss of habitat and ecological disasters such as pollution and oil spills.

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