Royal Albatross Chick’s Sex Announced As Post-Guard Stage Nears

Drumroll, please… DNA analysis of a recent blood sample taken on February 17 has confirmed that the 2024–25 Royal Cam chick is a female! This marks the third female chick that the parents RLK (male) and GLG (female) have raised together in the breeding colony at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head. Congratulations to the happy couple on their bulbous baby girl!

Both adults have done a remarkable job keeping their nestling well-fed. During a recent nest check on March 4 (watch above), rangers swapped out the smaller weighing bag for a larger basket to accommodate the growing young albatross during weigh-ins.

DOC Rangers will continue monitoring the chick’s weight throughout the breeding season to track her development and determine whether supplementary feedings are needed. Ranger Sharyn Broni reports that the chick has grown from a hatch weight of 10.8 ounces (286 g) on January 28 to a healthy 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg) as of March 4. Track the chick’s weight throughout the breeding season.

Now that the 37-day-old nestling is getting bigger, she will spend more time on the nest alone while both parents head out to sea in search of food. This “post-guard” stage typically begins at between 3 and 5 weeks of age. Eventually, the adults will cease brooding altogether as the chick’s demands for food increase.

Stay tuned to the Northern Royal Albatross Cam to catch all the action during the season, and follow daily updates from the nest on Twitter/X (@RoyAlbatrossCam).