Many birds—especially seabirds—remain pretty busy at their nesting locations during this time of year, showcasing fascinating Galapagos albatross fledgling behavior. The Galapagos albatross, the largest bird in the entire archipelago with a wingspan that stretches up to an impressive 2 meters (7-8 feet), is arguably the most majestic of these seabirds.
The Galapagos albatross has earned a spot on our BIG15 list of iconic animals because it is a magnificent bird. But the only place you can find these stunning birds is Española Island, which you can only get to via our Eastern Islands trip. When traveling on the Santa Cruz II Galapagos tour, you won’t want to miss the Galapagos albatrosses at this time of year as they are busy rearing their young, notably juveniles!
Galapagos Albatrosses Raising Their Young in September on Española
Galapagos albatrosses lay a single egg that takes roughly two months to hatch after being laid between April and July and then incubated. Albatross fledgling behavior is particularly fascinating when the infants are spotted next to their attractive parents, with their pearl-white feathers and lemon-yellow beaks creating an intriguing and unappealing image.
Newborns are covered in a dark brown plumage (down feather) that consists of curly feathers, making them look more like rattled and balding offspring that emerged from a chaotic battle inside their egg. It’s both an endearing and amusing spectacle to watch the parents as they look after their newborn “ugly duckling.”
Newborns are covered in dark brown plumage (down feather) with curly feathers, making them look more like rattled and balding offspring that emerged from a chaotic battle inside their egg. It’s both an endearing and amusing spectacle to watch the parents as they look after their newborn “ugly duckling.”
Unique Albatross Fledgling Behavior: Feeding, Growth, and Departure
One fantastic trait shared by both parents is their ability to convert their foraged food into fish oil that they can keep in their stomachs, largely undigested. This enables them to provide it to their young albatross later on and save it for later. Additionally, it gives them more time to keep scavenging the ocean for food.
This fantastic sight may even be visible to guests and island visitors, especially considering parents can feed their young chicks up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of the fish oil mentioned above! Funny enough, the young Galapagos albatrosses are typically left looking like chubby little dough balls until they eventually figure out how to process and digest all the food their parents gave them.
By December, the juvenile Galapagos albatrosses have grown to adult size, and by January, they have begun to flap their wings and depart the colony. When they are old enough to reproduce, they will only return home. They will only locate a lifelong partner through an entertaining and captivating wooing ritual.
The Galapagos is home to a unique and stunning species, which only adds to the list of experiences that can only be had there and the reasons you should visit the enchanted islands.
