The Little Fuzz Ball that Could

This Laysan albatross nestling will grow much larger over the next couple months, lose its fuzzy down to resilient flight plumage, and be abandon by its parents. It will unfold its 6 foot wingspan and learn to fly by its own primal, genetically programed urge. It will traverse thousands of miles of pelagic ocean, yet rarely rise above 75 feet into the air; its world flat and visually featureless far from land. Its acute olfactory sense will guide it to ocean upwelling sites where it will surface forage for squid and fish eggs. In 3 to 5 years, it will find its way back to the tiny terrestrial colony of its birth and began prospecting for a future mate through an elaborate courtship ritual of visual displays, sounds, and scent. Beginning at 5 to 8 years of age, it will co-nurture its own nestling for several months with its monogamous mate, then return to nomadic, solitary soaring over the sea. It will return to find its mate and produce and egg most nesting seasons for more than 60 years.

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