Dancing Laysan Albatrosses: These are Teenagers, widows, widowers, or divorcees. Teenagers in that they have not paired yet, widows or widowers in that their mates have died, or divorcees in that after several unsuccessful attempts to have offspring, they split assuming the problem is with the other. The un-paired birds spend much of their time during about a six month period dancing. If the paring works well they will mate next season.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Dancing Laysan Albatrosses (large file 3.2MB)
Dancing Laysan Albatrosses (small file 647KB)

Dancing Black-footed Albatrosses: These are Teenagers, widows, widowers, or divorcees. Teenagers in that they have not paired yet, widows or widowers in that their mates have died, or divorcees in that after several unsuccessful attempts to have offspring, they split assuming the problem is with the other. The un-paired birds spend much of their time during about a six month period dancing. If the paring works well they will mate next season.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Dancing Black-footed Albatrosses (large file 5.5MB)
Dancing Black-footed Albatrosses (small file 1110KB)

Hybrid Laysan/Black-footed Albatross trying to dance with Laysan Albatrosses: This bird looks closer to a Laysan but dances closer to a Black-footed. In any case it can't find a mate.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Dancing Hybrid Laysan/Black-footed Albatross (large file 4.7MB)
Dancing Hybrid Laysan/Black-footed Albatross (small file 940KB)

Feeding Laysan and Black-footed Albatross chicks

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Feedign Albatrosses (large file 4.4MB)
Feedign Albatrosses (small file 899KB)

Laysan Albatrosses taking off on the beach: This is literally a runway. The albatrosses run as fast as they can to help get into the air.

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

Beach Takeoffs (large file 4.0MB)
Beach Takeoffs (small file 838KB)


Back Copyright 2002 William H. Scholtz.
Last revised: May 27, 2002