Rising Tide Images
Empathic
The female albatross at left (KP163) is at least 18 years old in this photo since she was banded as an adult in 2006. She seems to have lost her long-term monogamous mate (O289); he hasn’t been observed for several seasons. I saw her attending a hatchling in the 2019-20 season, but she has been courting other albatrosses, not nesting, since then. Laysan albatross are not sexually dimorphic, so I’m not sure if the bird at right (O939) is male or female (it was not genetically tested during banding.) It may be a potential suitor looking for an opportunity to establish a bond and mate, or perhaps an empathetic female. It’s difficult not to be anthropomorphic with these birds that display such elaborate, complex behavior.
Empathic
The female albatross at left (KP163) is at least 18 years old in this photo since she was banded as an adult in 2006. She seems to have lost her long-term monogamous mate (O289); he hasn’t been observed for several seasons. I saw her attending a hatchling in the 2019-20 season, but she has been courting other albatrosses, not nesting, since then. Laysan albatross are not sexually dimorphic, so I’m not sure if the bird at right (O939) is male or female (it was not genetically tested during banding.) It may be a potential suitor looking for an opportunity to establish a bond and mate, or perhaps an empathetic female. It’s difficult not to be anthropomorphic with these birds that display such elaborate, complex behavior.