I recently took an online course entitled "Marine Megafauna" and had an assignment for which I wrote about the Laysan Albatross:
I first learned about
albatrosses when reading "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in 9th
grade English. I was taught that the phrase "albatross around one's
neck" has become an idiom to mean someone has a burden of guilt that
stands in his or her way. It wasn't until years later, at a marine debris
course, that I thought about albatrosses again. The Laysan Albatross is a large,
beautiful seabird. Although they are dwarfed by the larger Great Albatrosses,
the average wingspan of a Laysan Albatross is still more than 6 feet. I enjoy
demonstrating this to people by showing them that my own six foot wingspan is
smaller than that of a Laysan Albatross! Another thing that stands out and
makes this bird appear so beautiful are the black feathers surrounding the eye that
look like eyeliner. The benefit to this is similar to that of a football player
who applies black ink below his eyes to minimize glare.
The Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) is a seabird in
the order Procellariiformes, also known as the tubenoses. Characteristics of
the Procellariiformes include presence of a tubular nasal passage and
specialized techniques to minimize exertion while flying. Although the
tubenoses have different migration patterns, most of them spend lengthy amounts
of time flying and utilize dynamic soaring and slope soaring to assist in
energy saving. Other Precellariiforme species include petrels, shearwaters,
fulmars, and the other 20 species of albatrosses. The Black-footed Albatross, Short-tailed Albatross, and Waved
Albatross are the most closely related species to the Laysan Albatross and are
all included in the genus Phoebastria.
As mentioned above, the Laysan
Albatross is one of the smaller albatrosses with an average wingspan of
195-203cm. However, their average height of 80cm is not nearly as impressive. Males
weigh 2.2-4.3kg and are slightly larger than females, which weigh 1.9-3.6kg. Many
people think these birds look similar to seagulls, with a mostly white plumage
and some blackish-grey coloring on the wing, back, and tail. A closer look
would show that they differ in size, presence of tubular nostrils, and black
coloration around the eyes. The Laysan Albatross has a large range in the northern
Pacific Ocean. They spend much of their life foraging at sea and will fly long
distances, sometimes averaging nearly 350 miles per day. There are 16 known
nesting sites but the majority of breeding pairs are found on the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands, specifically on Midway Atoll and Laysan Island. They are
pelagic during their time at sea and prefer to nest on sandy or grassy island
habitats. Laysan Albatrosses have a history of population threats due to human
impact ranging from being hunted for their feathers to predation due to
introduced predators. Their numbers have rebounded to an estimated 591,000
breeding pairs, but current threats include longline fishing bycatch, plastic
ingestion, and a loss of nesting habitat due to rising sea levels.
The lifespan of Laysan
Albatrosses has not yet been ascertained, but they are considered long-lived
and there is one individual that has been banded for 58 years. This particular
bird, Wisdom, was estimated to be 5 years old when banded in 1956 and is the
oldest banded bird in the wild. She has since raised between 30 and 35 chicks
with her partner. Laysan Albatrosses mate for life and participate in elaborate
mating dances when choosing their mate and each season before breeding. Like
humans, it may take just a season or several years to find a mate so the age of
the bird at their first breeding season can vary from 6 to 12 years old. There
can sometimes be separations or infidelity and new research has shown that
there are same-sex female pairs. The females lay one egg at a time, sometimes
each year but often skipping years. It takes about 64 days from fertilization
for the egg to hatch and the parents then give extensive care to the chicks
before they fledge six months later.
Laysan Albatrosses are pelagic
foragers and skim the surface of the water for food. Their most common prey
items are squid, shrimp, and fish eggs but they will also eat a variety of other
invertebrates and small fish. They will fly thousands of miles for days at a
time while foraging for food. They are able to achieve this by locking their
wings open and flying in conjunction with the wind which is an extremely energy
efficient process called dynamic soaring. If it is during a breeding season,
the albatross will return to the nest and regurgitate their stomach contents to
the chick. Unfortunately foraging albatrosses often mistake plastic items for
food and while they have the ability to regurgitate inedible items, the chicks
do not. Scientists estimate that 40% of Laysan Albatross chicks die each year
from plastic ingestion, making these animals the poster child for plastic
pollution.
One of the major nesting sites
for Laysan Albatrosses is Midway Atoll. Midway Atoll is located near the
equator and is a part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Midway Atoll was
made a national wildlife refuge in 1988, but there is a very precarious history
for the albatrosses on Midway Atoll. The US military had an active air facility
on Midway Atoll until 1993 and it was most famously used during World War II.
Men stationed here nicknamed the albatrosses "gooney birds" because
of their goofy, unbalanced walking style. Many birds were killed to prevent the
dangerous possibility of them colliding with the planes. Even though the
station has long been closed, it is still a funny site to see photos of the
albatrosses laying nests on the old runways or perching on the abandoned
artillery batteries.
Laysan Albatrosses are
currently classified as near threatened by the IUCN. They have recovered from
past threats of egg and feather gathering so there is faith that they can
recover from the current problems of plastic pollution, longline fishing
bycatch, invasive predators, and lead poisoning from deteriorating military
buildings on the nesting islands. Invasive predators and lead particles can be
removed from the island, but the first two problems are more difficult to
address because they are worldwide problems. There are commercial fishing
regulations, but in many instances they are not strict enough or difficult to
enforce. Some regulation changes have included changing the style of hooks used
in longline fisheries to allow bycaught animals to free themselves easier. Consumers
can help by making conscientious seafood choices and lessening their use of
plastic. Even though these birds are foraging out at sea, it is estimated that
at least 80% of marine plastic is land based. We can start by refusing single
use disposable plastic bags, water bottles, and coffee cups. We can demand
extended producer responsibility by writing to our government representatives.
We can educate our friends and family. We need to remember that there is no
"away" in what has become a throwaway society. If we work hard to
change our actions of convenience we can save the Laysan Albatross and other
species affected by plastic pollution.
Lindsay Young is a wildlife
biologist who works for Pacific Rim Conservation. She received her MS from
University of Hawaii where her dissertation research focused on the Laysan
Albatross. She has published many scientific papers, some of which I included
links to below. Lindsay is also involved in several seabird organizations
including Pacific Seabird Group, North Pacific Albatross Working Group, and
Agreement of the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.
For more information on Albatrosses:
Carl Safina, 2002, Eye of the
Albatross (This is a book by a great author who has written many marine themed
books and I would highly recommend everyone checking out his books if they
haven't already.)
Young, et al, 2009, Bringing Home
the Trash: Do Colony-Based Differences in Foraging Distribution Lead to
Increased Plastic Ingestion in Laysan Albatrosses:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0007623
Brothers, et al, 2010, Seabird Bycatch
in Pelagic Longlinge Fisheries is Grossly Underestimated When Using Only Haul
Data:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0012491
Suryan, et al, 2008, Wind, Waves,
and Wing Loading: Morphological Specialization May Limit Range Expansion of
Endangered Albatross:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0004016
Young & VanderWerf, 2013,
Adaptive Value of Same-sex Pairing in Laysan Albatross:
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/281/1775/20132473.abstract
This is not a reading, but a very
interesting live camera that I also wanted to include:
http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/41/Laysan_Albatross/
