Baby penguins born at Melbourne Aquarium

After sitting on their eggs for the last month, Melbourne's penguin family has welcomed a new addition.

This year's first Gentoo penguin chicks were born at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium on Tuesday, with more eggs yet to hatch.

Bird manager Sarina Walsh says lots of people come to see the chicks while they're still young.

"They're adorable little fluffy things that everyone loves to see," she says.

The chicks weigh just 80 grams when they're born and spend most of the day under their parents but they don't stay small for long.

After two months the chicks are the same size as their parents and join the rest of the colony.

The breeding season starts in August, which Ms Walsh says is a "really sweet time".

"There's lots of courting and rock collecting and that's when they build their nests," she says.

Gentoos are the fastest underwater swimming bird in the world, reaching up to 36 kilometres an hour.

They hail from the Antarctic peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands.