Albatrosses Saving Albatrosses

Black-footed Albatrosses are masters of the high seas, but their fate is threatened by trouble on land. At their nesting grounds on Midway Atoll in Hawai‘i, rising sea levels are washing away albatross nests and eggs. Since 2021, a research team led by Julio Hernández with the Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas has been working to establish a new colony for of Black-footed Albatrosses on Isla Guadalupe in Mexico. Julio explains the island’s native Laysan Albatrosses are stepping in as “foster parents” to safeguard their Hawai’ian relatives.

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Albatrosses Saving Albatrosses
Written by Lucina Melesio

This is BirdNote.

[Albatross sounds]

Black-footed Albatrosses are masters of the high seas and soar through the air… but their fate is threatened by trouble on land. At their nesting grounds on Midway Atoll in Hawai‘i, rising sea levels are washing away albatross nests and eggs. But over 3,000 miles away, a surprising rescue operation has been underway since 2021.

On Isla Guadalupe in Mexico, Laysan Albatrosses were nearly eradicated by feral cats before conservationists intervened in the 1980s. Their successful recovery created a new opportunity, says marine ecologist Julio Hernández. He is leading an effort to relocate Black-footed Albatross eggs from Hawai’i to the nests of Laysan “foster parents” in Mexico. But… do they notice?

Julio Hernández: When they hatch, they all look the same, covered in soft gray fluff that helps camouflage chicks.

And when the chicks start showing their true colors…

Julio Hernández: By then, four or five months have passed, and there’s so much love and care already invested. At that point, they don’t care if the chick is black, white, or blue. That’s their baby.

Julio says that the Laysan foster parents successfully fledged more than 100 chicks in the first 4 years of the program! After several years at sea, many of the young Black-footed Albatrosses are already returning to Isla Guadalupe — which may soon be home to two albatross species who were given a second chance.

[Albatross calls]

For BirdNote, I’m Lucina Melesio.

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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Producer: Kizaya Studios
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York and Julio Hernández.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2026 BirdNote January 2026
Narrator: Lucina Melesio

ID# albatross-04-2025-01-13 albatross-04

Reference:
https://pacificrimconservation.org/projects/guadalupe-island-seabird-restoration/
https://www.islas.org.mx/directorio?ver=29#gsc.tab=0