A splendid Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus cake addressing the WAD2025 theme of “Effects of Disease” formed part of the morning tea celebration of World Albatross Day by the Australian Antarctic Division on 19 June 2025, photograph by Jonathon Barrington

World Albatross Day was first celebrated on 19 June 2020.  To help create awareness a cake-baking competition was held that proved popular with no less than 72 cakes entered into the “Great Albicake Bake Off”.  Since then, baking and displaying “albicakes” has continued on 19 June each year, notably by the Australian Antarctic Division and the Royal Albatross Centre in New Zealand.

An albicake of a Tristan Albatross created and photographed by Michelle Risi (front row right) on Gough Island as a member of the 70th South African Overwintering Team

In the hope that baking cakes with an albatross theme on World Albatross Day will develop into a full-blown tradition around the world, to complement the displaying of banners, here is a portfolio of albicakes produced, and I am sure eaten, for this year’s day and its theme “Effects of Disease”.

The Royal Albatross Centre continued its tradition of baking a cake depicting a life-sized Northern Royal Albatross in flight

The Mouse-Free Marion Project cheated with a shop-bought chocolate cake in Cape Town.  Left and right, John Cooper and Robyn Adams (MFM Project), centre Andrea Angel (Albatross Task Force), along with John’s Laysan and Wandering Albatross plushies, photograph by Reason Nyengera

More albicakes on display at the Australian Antarctic Division on 19 June 2025, photographs by Jonathon Barrington and Wendy Pyper

The ACAP Secretariat has started to give thought as to what might be the theme for “WAD2026”.  Perhaps there should be a repeat of the Great Albicake Bake Off”?  Watch this space for an announcement in due course!

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 21 July 2025

White-chinned Petrels moulting 4–5 inner primaries at the start of primary moult also replace most of their greater secondary coverts before the start of secondary moult, photographs by Peter Ryan (from the publication)

Oluwadunsin Adekola and Peter Ryan (FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, South Africa) have published open access in the Journal of Avian Biology on flight feather moult in 2431 White-chinned Petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis killed by fisheries off South Africa.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“The cost of moult is substantial, and the timing and intensity of flight feather moult can influence survival and fitness, especially in large, long-winged species such as many seabirds. We explore variation in wing and tail moult in > 2400 white-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis killed in fisheries off southern Africa to assess how they integrate moult into their annual cycle and whether wing moult impacts their behaviour at sea. All petrels showed a simple descendent primary moult and one active moult centre, although moult of P2–3 sometimes started before P1. The Underhill–Zucchini moult model estimated that adult primary moult started after breeding on 7 May (± 8 days SD) and lasted 103 days (mean end date 20 August ± 10 days). Adult males started and finished moult 10 days before females. Immature petrels started primary moult earlier than adults, and their moult was probably more protracted as they moulted fewer primaries at once (1.9 ± 1.2) when compared to adults (2.3 ± 1.1), independent of sex. Adult moult was particularly intense in the inner primaries, growing up to six feathers at once, slowing to at most 3–4 outer primaries. The secondary moult started two weeks after the primary moult, once 3–4 primaries had been dropped. Secondary moult typically started with the innermost secondaries, plus inward waves from S1 and S5 in 2.7 ± 1.3 active moult centres (range 1–6), replacing 4.6 ± 2.7 (1–13) secondaries at once. Adults had more intense secondary moult (4.7 ± 2.8 growing feathers) than immatures (3.6 ± 2.3), with no difference between the sexes. However, photographs of non-moulting birds at sea show that 27% of birds do not replace all secondaries each year. The tail moult usually commenced at the start of the secondary moult and was highly variable, with 1–12 rectrices growing at once. Adults had more active centres (3.0 ± 1.4) than immatures (2.3 ± 1.0). Moult symmetry was greater among the primaries (84%) than either the secondaries (46%) or rectrices (68%). Although adult wing moult was intense, there was no marked reduction in flight activity among breeding adults fitted with leg-mounted activity loggers during the moult period. Our findings are largely in accord with previous studies of moult in petrels, but our large sample size reveals considerable variation among individuals, which is surprising given the high cost of moult. Future studies should attempt to investigate the factors determining this variation.”

Reference:

OAdekola, O.E. & Ryan, P.G. 2025.  Variation in wing and tail moult intensity in white-chinned petrels.  Journal of Avian Biology doi.org/10.1111/jav.03327.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 18 July 2025

 Breeding colonies of White-chinned Petrel (open circles) in the south Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Colonies where samples were collected are indicated by a star (from the publication)

Viviane Barquete (FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa) and colleagues have published open access in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems on the origins of White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis killed by longline fisheries.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Incidental capture (bycatch) of seabirds in longline and trawl fisheries is one of the main threats to many albatrosses and large petrels.  The White-chinned Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis) has a circumpolar distribution and is the seabird species killed most frequently by fisheries in the Southern Ocean.  In an attempt to identify provenance, stable isotope values (δ13 C and δ15 N) in feathers from White-chinned Petrels killed in longline fisheries off Brazil, South Africa and New Zealand were compared with those from petrels breeding at five major colonies (South Georgia, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen and Antipodes Islands).  Feather δ15 N, and to a lesser extent, δ13 C values in feathers differed among breeding birds sampled at South Georgia, Antipodes Islands and the three Indian Ocean colonies.  Given that adult feathers are moulted primarily in temperate waters, away from heir colonies, this confirms that most adults from these three regions winter in different areas.  Discriminant function analysis of stable isotope values indicated that most petrels killed off Brazil and South Africa were from Atlantic and Indian Ocean populations, respectively.  Birds killed in New Zealand fisheries in summer were assigned to populations from all three oceans, with few assigned to the Antipodes; however, we lacked stable isotope data from the Auckland Islands, which is the most likely source population.  Identifying the origin of bycaught birds is essential for determining which populations are affected by human activities and for prioritising conservation efforts.  This includes targeting of mitigation regulations, monitoring of compliance and bycatch rates, and ensuring cooperation between breeding and non-breeding range states to ensure best practices are adopted in national fisheries and in the high seas.”

With thanks to Sandy Bartle.

Reference:

Barquete, V., Cherel, Y. Phillips, R.A., Thompson, D., Chilvers, B.L., Wanless, R.M. & Ryan, P.G. 2025.  Using stable isotopes to assign origin of White-Chinned Petrels killed by longline fisheries.  Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems doi.org/10.1002/aqc.70182.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 17 July 2025

Recording a Laysan Albatross chick, UN World Restoration Flagship Comprehensive Island Restoration in Mexico, photograph by Todd Brown

“The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have named the first World Restoration Flagships for this year, tackling pollution, unsustainable exploitation and invasive species in three continents. These initiatives are restoring almost five million hectares of marine ecosystems – an area about the size of Costa Rica, which co-hosts with France the UN Ocean Conference.

The three new flagships comprise restoration initiatives in more than sixty of Mexico’s islands, the coral-rich Northern Mozambique Channel, and the Mar Menor in Spain, Europe’s first ecosystem with a legal personhood. Winning initiatives were announced at an event during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, and are now eligible for UN support.

Recognized worldwide as vital hotspots for biodiversity, particularly for being home to one third of the world’s seabird species, the Mexican islands had long suffered the negative impacts of invasive species.

26 years ago, Mexico’s National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and the civil society organisation Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI) launched an ambitious, comprehensive ecological restoration program, in collaboration with partners from government agencies, civil society, academia, and local communities.

Efforts include removing 60 populations of invasive species and restoring seabird colonies, as well as forest landscape restoration. Coupled with implementing biosecurity protocols, the comprehensive programme restores the island’s endemic richness and supports local island communities.”

“Across Mexico's precious islands, tangible restoration actions and results are breathing new life into vital ecosystems, directly bolstering rich insular and marine biodiversity of global relevance, saving species, and weaving firm threads into the livelihoods of local communities,” said Dr. Marina Robles García, Undersecretary of Biodiversity and Environmental Restoration, Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). “Building on this type of success, Mexico is forging ahead with a robust National Environmental Restoration Program, casting its islands as a shining flagship for the revitalization of our myriad ecosystems.

Thanks to restoration efforts, 85 per cent of formerly extirpated seabird colonies have returned to the islands, including species at risk of extinction. The initiative will complete the restoration of over 100,000 hectares by the end of the decade – equivalent to almost a million hectares of continental land in terms of biodiversity value — encompassing almost 100 islands, and protecting over 300 endemic species of mammals, birds, reptiles and birds.

An enduring relationship with local communities ensures their involvement in the initiative and their benefits: enhanced resilience facing extreme weather events, sustainable fisheries, and ecotourism.”

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 16 July 2025