What bird eats mostly squid, can live more than 50 years, and may be able to sleep while flying? The Laysan Albatross, that’s who!
While we wait for the ospreys to return to their nests this spring, check out this nest cam on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. You might be able to spot two albatross nests here (check under the palm tree and under the banana tree to the left). Don’t be surprised to see each of the fluffy grey chicks all alone in their nests. The adult albatrosses fed them every day for the first two weeks, but now they travel further out to sea to find food – as far as 3,000 miles! So the chicks are often left alone.
If you’re lucky, you might spot the adult feeding its chick. You won’t see an albatross carry an entire fish home to the nest, like an osprey does. Instead, watch for the chick to pester the adult until it opens its beak wide. When it does, the adult will pass nutritious stomach oil to the chick. Yum!
Like the osprey cam in Montana, this nest cam has audio. You can hear the wind in the palms, the crash of the surf, and the patter of rain. But no screaming birds! Albatrosses are pretty quiet. The most common noise is a clapping sound, like the tapping of a woodpecker. You might also hear a shrill whinny or low, short moo.
Can you see any bands on the birds’ feet? These bands help scientists study the movement, survival and behavior of birds. Black or blue bands with white letters K, KP, or A indicate the bird was banded on Kauai. A purple band with white letter O indicates the bird was banded on the island of Oahu. A yellow band is pretty rare and means the bird was banded years ago when the research program first started in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. If you see an unusual band colour, that’s exciting!
Check back often to see how the chicks are growing. You can even watch them at night thanks to infrared illumination.
ALOHA!
More fun facts about Laysan Albatrosses:
- The adult’s wingspan is about 7 feet, which is small for an albatross
- Females lay only one egg every one or two years
- It can drink seawater because a salt gland extracts salt from its blood and excretes it from holes in the bill
- A fledgling leaves the nest and goes out to sea for 3 years or more on the open ocean caring for itself
- Chicks pant to keep cool
- About 400 pairs of Laysan Albatrosses nest on Kauai
- The oldest known Laysan Albatross is at least 64 years old
If you would like to learn more about the Laysan Albatross, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
