The Laysan albatross is a large seabird that lives in the North Pacific Ocean. Here are some interesting facts about these amazing birds that kids will enjoy learning about!
The Laysan albatross has a wingspan that stretches up to 6 feet wide! That’s wider than most people are tall. They use their long wings to soar above the ocean for hours without flapping.
What does the Laysan albatross look like?
Laysan albatrosses have white bodies, black wings, and a white ring around their eyes. The white ring gives them a surprised or curious look. Their large yellow beak curves downwards at the tip. They have webbed feet which helps them swim.
Where does the Laysan albatross live?
These birds live in colonies on remote Pacific islands like Midway Atoll, Laysan Island, and the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. They spend most of their life flying far out at sea across the North Pacific. Using the winds, they can glide hundreds of miles in search of food each day.
Laysan Albatross Facts
The Laysan albatross mates for life
Laysan albatrosses choose one partner to breed with and they stay together as a pair for life. They go through elaborate mating rituals like billing (touching beaks) and grooming each other to strengthen their bond. The paired birds will continue to mate at the same nest site year after year.
They have a very long lifespan
One of the most fascinating Laysan albatross facts is that they can live a very long time, often over 50 years! The oldest known wild Laysan albatross was at least 65 years old.
The Laysan albatross has a massive wingspan
The wingspan of the Laysan albatross ranges from 5 feet to an incredible 11 feet long! That’s wider than most cars. The long narrow wings allow them to glide efficiently for thousands of miles across the ocean.
The Laysan albatross spends most of its life at sea
These birds spend over 90% of their lives soaring far out at sea. Using wind patterns, they can travel up to 600 miles in a day in search of squid, fish and other food. They come back to land only to breed and nest.
They breed on remote Pacific islands
Laysan albatrosses nest on isolated islands in the North Pacific like Midway Atoll and Laysan Island. Nesting on remote islands keeps the eggs and chicks safe from most predators.
Breeding Location | Estimated Number of Breeding Pairs |
---|---|
Midway Atoll | 578,000 |
Laysan Island | 426,000 |
Kure Atoll | 185,000 |
The Laysan albatross performs elaborate mating dances
One of the most amazing Laysan albatross facts is their complex mating ritual. They use elaborate dances, billing, head waving, and vocalizations to find a mate. Once paired, they continue to perfect their mating ritual dance each year.
They lay only one egg per year
The Laysan albatross mates for life and raises one chick each year. The parent birds take turns incubating the single large white egg for about two months. Both parents feed and care for the chick for many months until it can fly and hunt on its own.
Laysan Albatross Chick Facts
Laysan albatross chicks hatch after two months
Laysan albatross eggs take about 65 days to hatch. Both parents take turns sitting on the nest to keep the egg warm. After hatching, the chick is covered in fluffy white down.
Chicks are fed an energy rich diet
The parents feed regurgitated oily fish to their chick. This high fat diet allows the chick to grow rapidly. The fat also stores energy that the chick will need for its first long flight out to sea.
They gain up to 1 pound per day
Laysan albatross chicks grow incredibly fast, almost doubling their weight every 2 weeks! They can gain over 1 pound per day, increasing from just a few ounces at hatching to over 15 pounds!
They learn to fly by flapping their wings
As their wings grow longer, the chicks flap and practice until they build enough strength for flight. They flap-run across the nesting grounds while parents watch over them. This dancing and flapping can go on for many weeks.
The first flight is out to sea
Once the juveniles are strong enough, they will take off to fly out to sea. Their first flight off the island may be the first and last time they ever touch land again. They spend the next 5-10 years flying far out at sea before returning to their colony to find a mate.
Age | Weight |
---|---|
Hatching | 5-6 oz |
2 weeks | 2.2 lbs |
1 month | 4.4 lbs |
2 months | 11 lbs |
Unique Laysan Albatross Adaptations
They drink seawater
Laysan albatrosses have special glands above their eyes that help remove salt from seawater. This allows them to drink seawater to stay hydrated while flying thousands of miles across the ocean.
They find food by smell
Unlike most birds, Laysan albatrosses have a great sense of smell. They can smell prey like squid up to 12 miles away! This helps them find food in the vast open ocean.
They are built for long distance flights
Their long narrow wings make them amazing gliders. They are able to soar thousands of miles while barely flapping their wings. Locking their wings in place allows them to glide gracefully across the ocean for days at a time.
They swallow their prey whole
Laysan albatrosses don’t have teeth. Instead they use their large hooked bill to grab prey like squid, fish and shrimp and swallow it whole. Their strong stomach acids digest the hard parts that most animals can’t.
They have incredible navigation
Scientists believe they use their great sense of smell, the sun, wind patterns, and even the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate across thousands of miles of constantly moving ocean. Once maturing, they regularly return to their exact hatching site after years spent wandering at sea.
Conservation of the Laysan Albatross
Habitat loss is a threat
With sea levels rising, Laysan albatrosses are losing nesting habitat on their low lying island homes. Most colonies are extremely vulnerable to storms and flooding.
Plastic pollution harms albatrosses
Albatrosses often mistake floating plastic for food. Eating plastic can injure or kill birds. It also fills up their stomachs keeping them from eating real food.
Longline fishing leads to bycatch
Thousands of Laysan albatrosses are accidentally caught and drowned each year on industrial longline fishing hooks. Mandatory use of bird scaring lines on fishing boats helps reduce albatross deaths.
Midway Atoll is a protected refuge
Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge provides protected nesting islands for over half of the world’s Laysan albatross population. Monitoring programs and wildlife research on Midway help track the threats they face.
Teaching kids promotes stewardship
Educating kids, local communities, and the fishing industry about Laysan albatross conservation is key to ensuring these incredible seabirds survive and thrive. Their unique life history makes them an important part of Pacific culture and ecosystem.
Conclusion
The Laysan albatross is an amazing seabird that thrives on remote Pacific islands. They mate for life, live incredibly long, have the largest wingspan of any bird in the world, and spend most of their lives soaring out at sea. With growing threats from pollution, habitat loss, and bycatch, it is important to continue conservation efforts so the Laysan albatross remains an iconic bird of the Pacific for future generations. Teaching kids about the threats albatrosses face and their unique adaptations for life at sea can help create informed stewards of the environment for the future.