Britain's Chester Zoo is celebrating the birth of 11 penguin chicks, which it says is "the most to hatch during hatching season in more than a decade."

The newborns are Humboldt penguins, a species which the zoo says is becoming increasingly rare and is now listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

"As keepers, our main role in raising the new youngsters is to ensure the adult penguins have all they need. Sometimes this can mean providing extra fish, which the parents swallow, churn into a high-protein soup, and then regurgitate to feed the chicks," said Zoe Sweetman, Chester Zoo's team manager of parrots and penguins.

Sweetman also explained the thought process behind naming the chicks.

"Each year the team chooses a new naming theme for the chicks. With 11 to name we could have chosen to name after an entire football team, but this year we've decided to go with plants. 

"Nettle and Thistle are the more spiky characters among the group, whereas Tulip and Daffodil have colorful personalities," she said, citing some of the names.

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