A translocated Black-footed Albatross pair fledges a chick on the Hawaiian island of Oahu

The first Black-footed Albatross chick successfully reared by translocated parents begs for a meal on the Hawaiian island of Oahu

With sea-level rise and storm water surges threatening the albatrosses of Hawaii’s low-lying atolls, comes the news that a translocation project run by the environmental NGO Pacific Rim Conservation  has led to Black-footed Albatrosses Phoebastria nigripes breeding on Oahu in the 2023/24 season, as revealed last week on Facebook.  This represents a new breeding locality for this ACAP-listed and Near Threatened species.

 
Translocated Black-footed Albatross V666 broods its chick in the James Campbell National Wildlife Reserve on Oahu

“We are thrilled to announce a huge milestone - in 2024, the first wild Ka'upu (Black-footed albatross) chick fledged from the Main Hawaiian Islands in over 400 years!

The ka'upu chick, E999, raised by a pair of translocated ka'upu, V434 and V666, marks a huge success for seabird conservation. Both V434 and V666 were translocated as chicks from Midway Atoll NWR to James Campbell NWR, where they were hand-fed fish slurry by PRC’s Aviculturist Robby Kohley and a specially trained team of staff, interns, and volunteers. After new breeding colonies of vulnerable seabird species that are safe from sea-level rise. By building mammalian exclusion fences, removing invasive predators, and socially attracting and/or translocating birds into these protected areas, we can create safe, higher elevation refugia for ground nesting seabirds.”

 
Translocated V666 broods its chick, photographs from Pacific Rim Conservation

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 26 May 2025