Mystery Bird: Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria (Diomedea) immutabilis

Laysan Albatross?

Field marks: the nostrils look albatrossy to me (but maybe that's only because the one albatross I've seen had them?), so I started looking at what was on Midway, and found these, which look right. Dark patch in front of the eye and less dark below.

What a stunningly beautiful image!

Agree with Bardiac, as to both the ID and the stunningly beautiful. I've always thought those birds (which I only know from nature documentaries) are incredibly handsome.

I"m guessing it's albatrossity who's in the hospital? If so, best wishes on a speedy recovery.

What's this? A bird as the Mystery Bird? You're making it too easy Grrl! I think there are only two Albatross species in the Hawaii Islands Black-footed, which has a sooty plumage and Laysan as identified by Bardiac (well done). The salmon-pink bill and black eyepatch clinch it.

Laysan Albatross is my opinion. Of course it isn't fair, since I was just part of an annual count of albatross eggs on Midway. We counted 428,090 Laysan eggs, 23,722 Blackfoot eggs, all about to hatch in the coming weeks. Adrian, add the Short tail Albatross to possibilities in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. Although not yet producing eggs, there is a pair here who have built a nest. There is hope that in the coming years they might lay an egg.

By the way, I am still on Midway, and the sounds of that many birds becomes a constant roar!

(Sorry for the re-post from yesterday's snow photo- for the last few hours I have been unable to load any of today's entries but it looks like the problem has been fixed now)

Of the three albatross species present on Midway (Laysan, Black-footed, Short-tailed), this could only be the Laysan Alabtross, Phoebastria immutabilis, because of the black "smudge" at the eye... although there are hybrids between the Laysan and the Black-footed (about 1:100,000), this particular albatross hybrid photo shows that it would have a dusky look to the plumage around the head, which ours lacks... I also understand that hybrids have a hard time breeding because they have "two left feet", neither fully conversant with the mating dance of the Laysan, nor with that of the Black-footed!

I assume that if you have a Facebook account you can access my "open to everyone" Photo folder, so if you would like to view some of the photos I borrowed from photographer Chris Jordan, who documented the devastating toll that plastics take upon the albatross chicks on Midway, please feel free to click here.

David, Thanks for sharing those photos. My mind boggles at all that plastic. Thanks for the education.

yes, there has been a problem at the server-end of things at scienceblogs today, that affected a few (but not all) blogs here, making them download as white pages. unfortunately, my blog was affected, but hopefully, the problem has been corrected.

David,

Thanks for sharing your Facebook photos! I'm amazed that so much plastic ends up in these birds stomachs when the nearest land is 2,000 miles away!! I can see why you pressed the point about the Anacost1a at the last conference- whatever ends up going into the tidal Potomac ends up in the Bay and then up and down the Atlantic coast.

I loved the other albums from your work in Ecuador! When will you be posting the ones of the latest garden you built?

Great photo of the Laysan Albatross, and fantastic news on the final nest count at Midway Jill. If anyone would like to see an actual Laysan Albatross laying an egg and hear the "sounds" of Midway in December, checkout http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUxZoMp5C2I

Also a big thanks to Stephen Kress from the Puffin Project, who originally organized setting up a Short-tailed Albatross decoy site at Midway (10 years ago) for having the foresight to envision a day when STAL may again be nesting at Midway Atoll.

To see what some great artists are doing with marine debris items like those photographed by Chris Jordan inside dead albatross see http://naturefinder.blogspot.com/2009/09/marine-debris-art-and-snorkeli… and click on the artist links.

Thanks for the great post!

Thanks for the links Wayne- unfortunately I am unable to view either one until I get home and off a government computer, but hopefully I am not replicating your contribution by attaching this link of a piece of art using materials found in a Laysan Albatross fledgling, collected and arranged by Cynthia Vanderlip from the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife, documented by this June 2009 article published in the Guardian "Environment Blog."

Thanks for posting the links I sent in David. And you did not duplicate any. It is great that you included Cynthia's art. Here is another link that allows readers to learn about Kure Atoll (60 miles NW of Midway Atoll) and learn about all the great projects and conservation work Cynthia has been directing and doing there http://www.kureatollconservancy.org/

Enjoy!

I agree with the consensus -- Laysan Albatross is the only likely candidate here. But, recognizing that seabirds can travel a long way, let's try ruling out some other possibilities.

The tubular nostrils place us in the order Procellariformes, along with shearwaters, petrels, and storm-petrels. In these other groups, the tubes sit on top of the bill, rather than within the sides as here. So, we can be sure this is an albatross.

Both Wandering and Royal Albatrosses have white cheeks at all ages, so they're out. Grey-headed has a mostly dark bill, as do Yellow-nosed and Buller's. White-capped and (especially) Salvin's have a head pattern that could approach this bird, but the bill is gray, not pink. The sooty albatrosses both have dark heads. Waved has an entirely whitish head, as do adult Short-tailed. Young Short-tailed and older Black-footed Albatrosses have patterned heads and pink(ish) bills, but the pale color in both starts near the bill and grows towards the nape, unlike the pattern in this bird.

The closest Albatross to this bird, except Laysan, appears to be Black-browed, which has a dark line through the eye and a orange bill. However, it shows white cheeks and a thin dark base to the bill, neither of which match this bird. So, Laysan Albatross.

Incidentally, Black-browed is known to occur nearly annually in the North Atlantic, appears to have "a strong northward migratory tendency", and occurs regularly along the coast of Peru, to about 10 degrees S.

Readers with a more up-to-date reference will no doubt discern taxonomic issues with this post. I'm working off of Harrison's 1983 Seabirds of the World, and I know that the Diomedidae has been thoroughly revamped in recent years.

Lovely picture of a bird that I have yet to see! But they are on the list, for sure.

I have generated a short list of birds seem from the hospital window, but it reflects (mostly) the urbanish environment where the hospital is located. In no particular order, I've identified

American Crow
American Goldfinch
Blue Jay
European Starling
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Dark-eyed Junco
as well as two fly-by raptors,
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle

The rumor is that the doctor will let me out of here today, so I'm hopeful that rumor is true!

YAY! he's back!

albatrossity: if i could send you to midway island to see these birds first-hand, so you can get photographs like the one above, then i'd do it! alas, i am unable to do more than wish this: but such a journey would be a small repayment for all the joy you've given me.

live long and prosper.