When the Bloom clan of Newport, NSW, took an abandoned magpie chick under their wing more than a year ago, they never expected it would stick around to become a permanent member of the family.

"Penguin" was only a few weeks old when found on the ground by the Blooms in the nearby suburb of Bilgola Beach in late 2013.

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After seeking the advice of a veterinarian, the family set about hand-rearing the chick and in the process turned Penguin into a mini social media celebrity – her Instagram account now has more than 3,400 followers.

Penguin now comes and goes but always manages to return to the Bloom household, where husband and wife Cameron and Sam and their three children, Rueben, 13, Noah, 11 and Oli, 9, are waiting with open arms.

"She's here at 3:30pm usually when the kids get home from school. She sings when they come up the driveway," Mr Bloom said.

"She usually hangs around until night and then I put her in the tree outside somewhere.

"She's free to fly – she often will just hang out around us in the morning then when the kids go to school she'll do her own thing.

"I never thought she'd become as much a part of the family as she has. They [the kids] love her like a dog, but better."

Penguin checks in on Oli Bloom as he brushes his teeth. ( Supplied: Cameron Bloom )

The Blooms believe Penguin, technically found by Noah, was blown out of a tree.

"A mate is a vet, he just gave me a few tips on looking after her and I researched a bit and spoke to another local vet in Mona Vale and bought some food that these small chicks can be fed," Mr Bloom said.

"We hand-reared her ... and she learned to fly. It's been really fun."

Mr Bloom said Penguin also liked to play games such as catch, enjoyed singing and even seemed to mimic humans on demand.

"If you flap your arms like wings – she'll flap her wings," he said.

"She spends a fair bit of time cruising inside the house, picking up the kids' scraps and playing games. She's pretty domesticated.

"When the kids play handball here with their friends ... Penguin just flies from kid to kid, sort of gets involved. It's pretty fun. It's chaotic."

Penguin often sits on Sam Bloom's shoulder, or beanie, when she is cooking dinner. ( Supplied: Cameron Bloom )

Penguin even waits in her tree, a big frangipani in the front yard, to greet the family whenever they all go out.

"It's like a dog wagging its tail – she sits there in the tree and flaps her wings like she's excited," Mr Bloom said.

Penguin even makes for a good guard dog.

"If you just rock up at the house she might be a bit protective and might snap a bit at you," Mr Bloom said.

"It depends, kids no problem usually and some adults; she might not be too kindly to some people ... but she warms up to people pretty quickly."

Penguin and Rueben Bloom go onto the roof to check the surf. ( Supplied: Cameron Bloom )

However, Penguin's life was not always smooth sailing, with other magpies in the neighbourhood often swooping in to attack.

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"She might be in the tree out the front of the house, getting worms out of the garden, and if other magpies are around she'll make a beeline for the house and fly in here so she doesn't get bombed and pecked – they really attack her," Mr Bloom said.

"They've made her bleed."

It sounded all too familiar to Hazel Kranenburg from Foster Care of Australia's Unique Native Animals Association.

The Queensland volunteer said rescued magpies were hard to release back into the wild because other birds were so territorial.

"Sometimes you have to go quite further afield to release them where there [are no other magpies], but they do find their own kind," she said.

Ms Kranenburg said that in general, magpies were lovely and she was not surprised Penguin had grown fond of the Blooms.

"They sing beautifully. They're a lovely bird, they're not that aggressive ... only come breeding season," she said.

Noah Bloom, who found Penguin, has formed a special bond with the magpie. ( Supplied: Cameron Bloom )

And just like the children Rueben, Noah and Oli, Penguin has brought friends into the house at times.

"A few months ago there was another baby magpie, a local one. She started playing with it and it came into the house," Mr Bloom said.

"Penguin and this one were just ... talking and carrying on together. It was really cool.

"She'll make her own family one day."

Until then, the Blooms are more than happy to have their magpie around.