At Edinburgh Zoo, mating season comes with a splash of paint.

The zoo in Edinburgh, Scotland, says male penguins are known in the wild to search for the perfect pebble to present to a female mate. At the zoo, the males are working with a very different collection.

For the past four years, patients from Royal Hospital for Children & Young People have painted pebbles as part of a partnership with the zoo.

In an Instagram post, the zoo said the penguins had plenty to choose from this year.

“Penguins try to win over their perfect match by presenting the most beautiful pebbles they can find. And this year the colony was spoilt for choice… with more than 1,000 stunning pebbles to pick from,” the post reads. “A huge thank you to @echcharity for helping make this possible. Together we’re helping children stay connected to nature even during the toughest hospital stays.”

The Edinburgh Zoo also shared a video showing the penguins looking through the coloured pebbles and picking the ones they liked most.

The partnership drew warm reactions online.

“This is just brilliant! How wonderful to see a creative health initiative that actively connects the children with a purpose like this! I really hope you play live footage of the penguins receiving the pebbles and making their nests on the children’s ward too, I’m sure it would raise a lot of spirits!” one person wrote.

“My grandson painted a pebble. He’s hoping it gets picked,” another commenter wrote.

“I would cry if a penguin picked MY pebble. It’s a life goal lol,” a follower joked.