CANBERRA (Daily Mail ) - While most kids grow up with a pet dog, cat or even a tortoise, the Bloom children have made a MAGPIE part of their family.
Named ‘Penguin’ simply because of her resemblance to the aquatic creature, parents Cameron and Sam along with their three kids - Rueben, 13, Noah, 11 and Oli, 9 - are quite used to her presence around their Newport home on Sydney’s northern beaches.
She’s often found having a sneaky snuggle in bed, dining with the family or helping the kids get ready for school in the morning.
The charismatic and affectionate bird is also popular on social media, with the help of an Instagram account which now has 3,569 followers.
Penguin has been part of the family since 2013, after young Noah found her abandoned on the ground when she was only a few weeks old.
‘We kept her because I felt confident that I had the time and knowledge to bring her up safely and healthily,’ Mr Bloom told Daily Mail Australia.
‘My best friend is also a vet. Her diet was meticulously made so she had the right balance. It used to take me half an hour to mix it all together.’
And it appears that Penguin has settled in quite comfortably.
‘The kids love her like a pet dog and it’s just become so normal having her around,’ Mr Bloom said.
‘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.
‘She also runs down the hallway in the morning sometimes to snuggle up in bed with us or the kids.