Annual census shows Laysan Albatross numbers are up on Kure Atoll

The results are in for the annual census of Laysan Phoebastria immutabilis and Black-footed P. nigripes Albatrosses on Kure Atoll in the North-Western Hawaiian islands.

A mixed colony of Black-footed and Laysan Albatrosses

“We had an increase of about 11 000 Laysan Albatrosses and a few more Black-footed Albatrosses from last year. This year, we counted a total of 35 360 mōlī [Laysans] and 3381 kaʻupu [Black-foots].”

It is assumed the count was of incubating birds since nest contents were checked: “As I went to confirm whether or not an albatross was sitting on an egg, I found one sitting on a light bulb, another on a golf ball, and a few sitting on two eggs.”

The census took a team of five working for the non-profit foundation Kure Atoll Conservancy six days to complete.

Read more here for the 2016 count and here for the 2013 count.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 03 January 2017

 

The Agreement on the
Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

ACAP is a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters by coordinating international activity to mitigate known threats to their populations.

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