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Awkward Age

Like a high school yearbook photo, that awkward age for a mōlī must be in between the cute downy fuzziness of a hatchling and a magnificent, resilient flight-feathered, full-fledged bird. The brown down within reach of its bill seems to be plucked out by the albatross as feathers emerge until only the inaccessible down on the head remains resulting in variously patterned, humorous-looking coiffures. This bird is only a week or two from heading out over the Pacific on a solitary journey of several years until returning to the colony to find a life-long monogamous mate.

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Uploaded on July 29, 2023
Taken on July 14, 2023