News Excerpt

The wandering albatross, the world's largest flying bird, is facing extinction threats, with its nesting sites on Marion and Prince Edward islands at risk due to climate change.

More details about the news:

• Spending most of their 60-year life at sea, albatrosses breed every two years on islands like Marion and Prince Edward.
• Playground of albatross is the vast Southern Ocean, the region between the latitude of 60 degrees south and the continent of Antarctica and the scattered islands within this ocean where they make their nests.
• Researchers found that elevation is a crucial factor in the albatrosses' choice of nesting sites, preferring lower, warmer areas with coastal vegetation.
• The species, listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), faces huge risks while in the open ocean, in particular due to bycatch from longline fishing trawlers. Along with this climate change-induced shifts in temperature may jeopardize the availability of suitable nesting areas.
• The study, conducted during 2021, underscores the delicate balance that could be disrupted, posing a significant threat to the wandering albatross population in the Southern Ocean region.