Penguin power: Norwegian regiment honours pint-sized chief

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

EDINBURGH (AFP) — A penguin called Nils waddled into the history books Friday when he was knighted by a visiting royal Norwegian regiment in Scotland.

The king penguin -- full name Nils Olav -- became the first black-and-white pint-sized Norwegian Sir with wings after inspecting the Norwegian King's Guard, which is visiting Edinburgh for the annual Military Tattoo.

"We have a long-standing history with the Norwegian King's Guard and it is something we are extremely proud of," said David Windmill, head of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the owners of Edinburgh Zoo where Nils lives.

The bird first became an honorary member of the Norwegian regiment in the 1970s, when a lieutenant called Nils Egelien visited the Scottish Zoo. Norway's head of state...