Wild Wednesday: Short Tailed Albatross

In just a few short decades, the short tailed albatross declined from a population of millions, at the beginning of the 20th century, to suspected extinction in the 1940s due to overhunting. Years later, small nesting populations—thought to be as small as 10 individuals—were found on remote islands in the Pacific.

In 2010, the first nests on US soil since "extinction" were discovered.

For the first time ever, the birds have been found nesting on two tiny islands in the U.S., in the northwestern Hawaiian island chain. One nest with a couple of eggs inside was found on the Kule atoll, accompanied by two female birds; the other, on Midway atoll, contained fresh eggs and was guarded by both a male and female albatross.


While the fate of the Short-tailed Albatross remains uncertain, conservationist groups remain vigilant that their efforts to protect to bird are truly paying off. And, with the bird's tenacity to survive, even though they once faced almost certain extinction, perhaps one day the gentle chirping of Albatross chicks will be heard yet again throughout the Pacific.