Midway’s Albatrosses

Midway Atoll is the site of the world’s largest albatross nesting colony as well as other globally important species such as the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and Laysan Duck. Midway Atoll is also the home of Wisdom, the oldest known wild bird in the Bird Banding Lab’s database. The work conducted by the census team, or “Bird Counters”, provides vital information found few places on Earth to researchers, managers, conservation groups, and the global community interested in preserving and protecting seabirds and their nesting habitats. Since 1991, the annual census of Mōlī (aka Laysan Albatrosses [Phoebastria immutabilis]) and Ka’upu (Black-footed Albatrosses [Phoebastria nigripes]) on Midway Atoll has provided precise and consistent information regarding the numbers of nesting albatross pairs there.

Speaker: J. D. Bergeron, Chooda