It is the most spectacular flying visitor to New Zealand’s Otago Peninsula.
Southern royal view
Physical characteristics
A giant bird, which is almost 1.20 m high and has a wingspan of 3.50 m. The body of the northern species is white with completely black upper wings.
Southern birds have more white in their color.
Both species usually have pink legs. Their carapaces are flesh-colored. A sharp black border runs along the upper jaw. Behavior Seeing a majestic albatross flying over the waves is an unforgettable sight. The albatross flies 118,000 miles a year. It can reach speeds of at least 70 miles per hour, thanks to its narrow, broad wings. This bird’s airborne elegance belies its awkward, stumbling gait on land. The albatross has a wide range, circles the earth and spends several days in the air. His effortless glide allows him to pass 90% of the time life on the water. Birds that do not reproduce travel to the southern oceans. Many reach South America and southern Africa. Royal albatrosses feed by scavenging the sea surface for dead or schooled fish and squid. Also, many albatrosses follow fishing boats in hopes of feeding on bait and bycatch. They usually take scraps easily, but sometimes they get stuck and drown. Taiaroa Head, in New Zealand’s South Island, is home to the only mainland colony of royal albatross. It is the only one in the world. Here, the royal albatross forms a friendship with a lot of “kissing” and “stroking” between the birds.
Royal Birds albatross in Pond
Once formed, pairs stay together for life, despite long separations at sea.
Royal albatross couples raise one chick every two years. The birds mate in September at the breeding colony at Taiaroa Head. In early November, females build nests on top. They use their beaks to collect nearby plant matter and soil.
Soon they lay a single white egg, which weighs up to 500 g. Both sexes incubate the egg for 11 weeks, one of the longest incubations of any bird. Parents alternate these duties every 2 to 8 days. They often sleep while resting on the eggs. Between late January and early February, the bird hatches after opening a hole in the shell. This process can take three to six days. The parents take turns eating and watching the new bird. For the first 20 days, the chicks are fed ad libitum until meals are reduced to three or four times a week. After 100 days, the young are covered with over 11 cm of down. They begin to eat bigger and stronger until they can hold 2 kg of food. As the young approach fledging, their food shrinks until they fly in September. About a year after the adults arrive at Taiaroa Head, the parents leave to spend a year at sea. Then, they return to mate again.
Young royal albatrosses remain at sea for three to six years. Many return to Taiaroa Head to breed after maturing at 6 years. Royal albatross live an average of about 42 years. A Taiaroa Head female, affectionately known as ‘Grandma’, has been found raising a chick at the age of 62!
CONSERVATION
Longline fishing by Asian and Russian fleets in southern waters threatens these birds. Chickens eat plastic from polluted oceans in their diet, which weakens them. Albatrosses on isolated, storm-prone islands are safe from the outside world. But those nesting near humans face many threats. Near cities, dogs, cats, birds, mice and ferrets attack these seabirds and their young. Rabbits dig up the soil and leave scattered vegetation, and fires pose a danger to nesting sites. Local staff have fenced and monitored protected nesting areas. This has greatly reduced these problems.
