Short-tailed Albatross is the largest albatross likely to be found in the
North Pacific. There, they may have been one of the most common
albatross species prior to the 1800s, when feather collectors and hunters
decimated the species. Collection continued into the 1900s, and
populations were also devastated when a volcanic eruption functionally
destroyed one of the largest breeding colonies that remained. By the
1940s, the species was thought to be extinct, as none were returning to
breed on the handful of Japanese Islands where they bred.
However, Short-tailed Albatross are extremely long-lived species, with
birds living 50 years or more and not breeding until at least 10 years
old. During the time when no birds returned to their Japanese
breeding grounds, it is thought that a handful of juvenile birds still
roamed on the open ocean. By the 1950s, a handful of birds
returned to former breeding colonies in Japan and again began to nest.
With protection from exploitation, populations have very slowly
rebounded since, but they remain a very rare species, with no more than
a few thousand birds in the total global population. In recent
years, sporadic nesting attempts have started to have been reported from
Midway Island on the far reaches of the Hawaiian Island chain, further
raising hopes for the species' recovery.
Habitat: Breeding habitat is now reduced to just a
pair of Japanese Islands (Torishima and Minami-kojima), and recent nesting
attempts on Midway Island in the Hawaiian Island chain. Outside of the
breeding season, they are found in open ocean in the Pacific.
Diet: Feeds mostly on squid, but will also feed on
fish, shrimp and other crustaceans, and occasionally on the refuse and waste
Behavior: Foraging is mostly done by swimming on
the ocean's surface, grabbing squid and other prey from near the surface
Nesting: On the two remaining Japanese nesting
grounds, nests occur on grassy windswept slopes, where the female lays a
single egg in a simple scrape nest. Both parents take turns incubate the
egg, with incubation last 2 months. Upon hatching, parents take turns
protecting the young, and leaving to forage, with the youngster fed
regurgitated food from the foraging parent. The chick remains in the
care of the parents for several months after hatching.
Song: On their breeding grounds, birds will give a
groaning call, but they are generally silent off the breeding grounds.
Migration: Breeds on a handful of Japanese
Islands, although sporadic breeding attempts have been made in recent years
on Midway island on the fringes of the Hawaiian Islands chain. Outside
of the breeding season, may wander widely across the Pacific.
Adult birds are most likely to be confused with the
Laysan Albatross in Pacific waters
off North America.
Conservation Status: Overhunting and destruction
of their nesting habitats by natural and man-made threats resulted in the
near extinction of the species by the mid 1900s. With protection,
populations have begun to rebound, but no more than a few thousand birds
exist worldwide. Given the small population, the dependence of the
species on a handful of breeding locations, and the threats of fishing
activity, climate change, and pollution,
IUCN lists the Short-tailed Albatross as "Threatened".