This Family Rescued a Magpie Who Became an Inseparable Member of Their Household

For most people, cats and dogs are the standard when it comes to bringing a pet into your family. These animals have been domesticated over the course of thousands of years and understand how to live in perfect harmony with people. Wild animals, on the other hand, have not. There are many reasons why wild animals make terrible pets; a few being their highly specific diets, their propensity for shredding furniture and, well, their wild nature. No matter how hard humans try, we can never truly replicate the experience of living in the natural world when we bring wild animals into our homes and this leads these animals to suffer both physically and mentally.

The Bloom family, however, has managed to successfully cohabitate with a wild magpie. Unlike other people who go out and purchase exotic pets, Penguin the magpie came to the Blooms as a result of a tragic turn of fate. Noah Bloom, who was nine at the time, came across the small, abandoned bird and brought her home. Noah’s father happened to be best friends with a veterinarian, so with proper instructions and a strict diet regiment, the Blooms came to be the primary caretakers of little Penguin. Mr. Bloom is a professional photographer and has beautifully documented Penguin’s life with his family.

Some little boys have dogs as best friends, the Bloom boys have a magpie. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, right?

If you hadn’t guessed, Penguin earned her silly name because of her resemblance to the Arctic creature. Penguin much prefers the warm climate of Syndey, Australia to the arctic tundra, however.

Many people believe that birds don’t enjoy cuddling or naptime like cats or dogs do. Penguin is certainly the exception.

The Blooms joke that Penguin thinks she’s a human. We wonder what her favorite Netflix series is?

“She likes to sing for us when she’s around the house and likes to fly onto your head or sit next to you and nibble on your ear,” the Blooms told DailyMail.

According to the Blooms, Penguin LOVES toothpaste. We have to hand it to her for being brave enough to stick her head in a little boy’s mouth! He probably never gets away with skipping flossing.

Because Penguin was abandoned by her mother when she was only a few weeks old, she probably wouldn’t have survived on her own. 

Although she’ll never be able to be released back into the wild after being raised by humans, she seems to be in good hands with the Blooms.

Mr. Bloom tells DailyMail, “She flaps her wings with excitement when the kids come home from school and loves to eat with us as well.”

“The joy she’s brought to all our lives has been immeasurable,” says Mr. Bloom. 

Check out this video to see the precious interaction between Penguin and her best little human friend.

To follow the Blooms and Penguin, check out Penguin the Magpie on Instagram.

Although this story and the photos are heart-warming and cute, we do not encourage our readers to feed or rescue wildlife. If you find an animal in need, contact a local wildlife rehabber/rescuer or veterinarian ASAP, or call a rescue hotline. Here are some that might help!