PREVIEW

A gay king penguin has had their gender changed after being wrongly believed to be female for eight years.

‘Maggie’ (shown with a grey flipper band) arrived at Birdland Park and Gardens, in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire from Denmark in 2016, settled in well and quickly caught the attention of fellow Birdland resident Frank, pairing up.

The duo got on famously as a couple, but year after year were unable to produce chicks. Until keepers recently observed ‘Maggie’ making the first move and attempting to mate with Frank like a male - arousing significant suspicions.

Staff sent one of their feathers off for DNA testing, which confirmed Maggie was actually a male - so he has been renamed Magnus!

Male penguins do not have penises, so it is often difficult to tell by eye what sex they are. The birds themselves tell by vocalisation. Both males and females have an orifice called a cloaca that they rub together to transfer sperm, which the male produces from his internal testes.

Gay penguin couples have been observed several times - with Australia’s Sphen and Magic becoming international celebrities thanks to a romance that sadly came to an end this year with Sphen’s passing.

Birdland Park and Gardens is home to England's only collection of king penguins, the second largest species of penguin. They now hope to receive a female from Germany - who may even pair up with one of its two newly eligible bachelors!