This YouTube clip, released in 2019 as part of a BBC documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough, is so heartbreaking that it reduced many viewers to tears. Many people expressed their distress on social media. It shows a baby albatross being abandoned by its parents after it fell out of the nest. In this article, we explore the science behind this tragic story.
About the Albatross
The albatross has a huge wingspan.
©Vladimir Strnad/Shutterstock.com
The albatross is a large seabird with the largest wingspan of any bird on Earth, reaching up to 11 feet. There are several different species of albatross, although the exact number is debated. Perhaps the most well-known is the wandering albatross, but the birds in this clip are likely grey-headed albatrosses (Thalassarche chrysostoma). Albatrosses are found in the Southern Hemisphere, around Antarctica, South America, South Africa, and Australia. A few species also inhabit the North Pacific region, between Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Japan. The grey-headed albatross breeds in the Southern Ocean, with large colonies on South Georgia in the South Atlantic. This footage was captured on Bird Island, located off the coast of South Georgia.
Their huge wings allow them to glide on air currents while expending minimal energy, enabling them to spend long periods at sea. They feed on fish, squid, and krill, and can even drink salty seawater. When they need to rest, they float on the water. They return to land only to nest.
Albatross Reproduction
Along with many other species of albatross, the grey-headed albatross mates for life. After mating, the female produces just one egg, and the pair locates and reuses old nests from previous breeding seasons. They build their nest from mud, grass, guano, and seaweed. The egg incubates for 72 days, and the chick is brooded for one to four weeks. The chick does not leave the nest for about 141 days. Some other albatross species spend an entire year in their nest! During this time, the adults leave the nest for extended periods to find food. However, when the time is right, the parents abandon the chick before it fledges.
In this particular albatross species, the parents instinctively feed whatever is in the nest. If there is no chick in the nest, they believe they have nothing to feed. Their recognition of their offspring is primarily associated with the chick being in the nest, and they are much less likely to feed a chick found outside it. In these harsh conditions, a chick will survive for only a few hours outside the shelter of the nest and its parents. Luckily, this chick gets back in just in time. Luckily, this one gets back in just in time.
The post The Heartbreaking Reason Why Albatross Parents Abandon Chicks appeared first on A-Z Animals.
