Graphical abstract from the publication

Mikinley Weaver (Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Waimanalo, Hawaii, USA) and colleagues have published in the journal Parasitology Internatonal on lice loads in Wedge-tailed Shearwaters Ardenna pacifica from the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Ectoparasites were collected from 35 live Ardenna pacifica Gmelin chicks (wedge-tailed shearwaters) in October and November 2022 using a fumigant and plastic bag collection method.  Additionally, 206 naturally-deceased post-fledging grounded birds were sampled opportunistically over eight years (2015–2023), with fledglings collected during the fledging season (November – December) and adults collected during the breeding season (May – October).  Eight species of Phthiraptera were documented in samples from these birds.  While four species (Halipeurus mirabilis Thompson, Trabeculus hexakon Waterson, Austromenopon paululum (Kellogg & Chapman), and Naubates harrisoni Bedford) were present on chicks that had fledged and subsequently “fallen out”, only H. mirabilis was present on chicks that had not yet fledged. Saemundssonia puellula Timmermann, and Longimenopon puffinus Thompson, were only collected from adult fallout birds in the spring.  Of the recorded ectoparasites, four species (H. mirabilis, T. hexakon, A. paululum, and N. harrisoni) constituted a species assemblage that did not significantly vary from year to year.  Lice abundance and diversity varied across bird age classes (pre-fledging chicks, fledged chicks, adults), but a significant increase in lice abundance during 2015 coincided with a major El Niño event, suggesting that the ectoparasite loads may be affected by external conditions such as air temperature.  There was also a significant increase in lice prevalence between pre-fledging and fledged chicks, which likely coincided with the lice hatching.  These results underscore the consistency of lice assemblages on A. pacifica, while highlighting the influence of endogenous (e.g., bird life history) and exogenous (e.g., weather) ecological factors.”

Reference:

Weaver, M.D., Brown, S.M. & Hyrenbach, K.D. 2026.  The traveling insects: ectoparasite records on Hawaiian wedge-tailed shearwaters, Ardenna pacifica, with a focus on Phthiraptera,  Parasitology International 110, 103142. doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2025.103142.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 05 March 2026

No. 700!  Kitty Harvill with “Dreaming of Gough”, her painting of an Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross in acrylics on canvas, 40 x 50 cm, after a photograph by Chris Jones.  This photograph is by Laurie Smaglick Johnson

For the seventh consecutive year ACAP is working with the international collective, Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN), to produce artworks featuring albatrosses and petrels in support of World Albatross Day (WAD2026) on 19 June.  The first six ABUN Projects yielded no less than 697 artworks for ACAP’s use in supporting conservation.  A truly impressive number, that most likely has no competitor for any animal group across the whole world.

ACAP’s chosen theme for WAD2026 is “Habitat Restoration".  Two albatrosses are being featured, the Endangered Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos and the Vulnerable Chatham Albatross T. eremita.  ABUN Project #52 kicked off on 19 February and runs until 19 April.  So far, 11 artworks have been submitted; they can be viewed in a Photo Album on ACAP’s Facebook page; read about the first two (Nos. 698 and 699) here.  The third to be produced, and thus the 700th since 2020, is of an Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross entitled “Dreaming of Gough”, by happy happenstance painted by ABUN’s Co-founder and long-time supporter of the Albatross and Petrel Agreement, Kitty Harvill.

ACAP Latest News asked Kitty, who lives in Brazil, to write how her involvement with albatrosses started and how it developed into a six-year collaboration with ACAP.

Kitty writes: “It all began with WISDOM, and what worthy endeavour doesn’t?  When the devastating tsunami of 2011 hit Midway Atoll, author Darcy Pattison saw the opportunity to share the story of Wisdom, the Midway Albatross who had miraculously survived the storm along with her chick.  Not wanting to wait for her manuscript to languish on the desks of publishers for months, maybe years, Darcy set out to establish her own publishing company and enlisted me as the illustrator for her story.  Having been friends for years and sharing the same birthday, 28 June (only nine days after World Albatross Day), we had wanted to create a children’s book together for some time and I happily agreed.  ‘WISDOM the Midway Albatross: Surviving the Japanese Tsunami and other Disasters for over 60 Years’ was successfully published to excellent reviews in 2012.  Fast forward to late 2019.  Darcy and I were contacted by John Cooper, the ACAP Information Officer, who asked us to update the back matter in the book due to the upcoming launch of the first World Albatross Day on 19 June 2020.  I took the opportunity to tell John about Artists & Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) that I co-founded in January 2016 and offer that our ABUN artists could create paintings and drawings that could assist in raising awareness for World Albatross Day 2020.  I sensed some hesitancy on his part at first, but ABUN Project #30 launched on 01 January 2020 and produced 324 artworks by 77 artists of all the 22 albatross species listed by ACAP.  Seven posters were created from selected artworks and made available to the public free of charge.  My own painting that year, a watercolour, included all 22 species.  I’ve led an ABUN Project for World Albatross the Day every year since then, except for 2024 and 2025 when our ABUN Administrator, Marion Schön, had the honour to do so.”

“We have become good friends”.  Kitty Harvill and John Cooper aboard the MSC Musica on the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025

Kitty continues: “In January last year, I was invited to be ‘Artist-in-Residence’ on the Flock to Marion AGAIN! 2025 voyage.  I produced eight watercolours before the trip, donated the, upon arrival on the ship and created an 11” x 14” acrylic on linen painting each day, also donated to the important cause of the Saving Marion Island’s Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project.  Albatross conservation has, over the years, become a very important cause for me and it all started with a devastating event.  It is a true ‘Ashes to Beauty’ story and our ABUN paintings keep rising like a Phoenix from those ashes, with now over 700 artworks available to ACAP to support the conservation of the world’s albatrosses and petrels.”

An aerial view of Gough Island appears in the albatross’s eye in Kitty Harvill’s painting

With thanks to Kitty Harvill and Marion Schön (in 2024 and 2025) for administering the six projects – and for contributing their own art.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 04 March 2026

A Black-browed Albatross pair on New Island, photograph by Ian Strange

New Island is a nature reserve in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)* that supports populations of ACAP-listed Black-browed Albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris and White-chinned Petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis as well as large numbers of Slender-billed Prions Pachyptila belcheri.  The New Island Restoration Programme is working towards the eradication from the island of four different invasive species: feral cats, Black Rats, House Mice and European Rabbits.

The small population of Vulnerable White-chinned Petrels on New Island will benefit once the introduced mammals are gone

New funding from Darwin Plus now “gives the means to start an ambitious programme of work from 2025 to 2029 to conserve New Island, restore the whole island ecosystem, and make it a safe place for species such as Slender-billed Prions”.

Read about the new grant here.  Read more about the island here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 03 March 2026

*A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (Islas Georgias del Sur y Islas Sandwich del Sur) and the surrounding maritime areas.

"Shelter in the Wind". An Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross broods its chick, artwork by Deepti Jain in charcoal, after a photograph by Michelle Risi taken on Gough Island

Two albatross species are being used to feature the theme of “Habitat Restoration” for this year’s World Albatross Day (WAD2026) on 19 June.  They are the Endangered Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos, endemic to the Tristan da Cunha islands, part of the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic and the Vulnerable Chatham Albatross T. eremita, endemic to The Pyramid, Chatham Islands, New Zealand.

For the seventh consecutive year ACAP is collaborating with the international collective, Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN), to produce artworks featuring the two-ACAP-listed species in 2026.  ABUN Project #52 got underway on 16 February and will last until 19 April.  Two weeks into the project and eight artworks have been received already, available for viewing in a photo album on the ACAP Facebook page, with news of others on the go.

The first artwork for the Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross has been produced by India’s Deepti Jain and for the Chatham Albatross by Andrea Siemt from Germany.

 ABUN artist, Deepti Jain is a Mumbai-based wildlife artist from India whose work focuses on portraying threatened species with sensitivity and depth. Working in charcoal, soft pastels, oils and watercolours, she seeks to capture both the physical presence and quiet dignity of her subjects, using art as a means to foster awareness of habitat loss and species vulnerability.

She has been associated with Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) for the past seven years, contributing regularly to international conservation-focused art initiatives. Through this sustained engagement, she has become part of a global community of artists and biologists dedicated to supporting wildlife protection through visual storytelling.

Deepti  writes of her work "Shelter in the Wind" for ABUN Project #52.: "A study in protection. This charcoal artwork captures an Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross brooding its chick, a quiet, instinctive act that ensures the next generation survives. Listed as Endangered, this species faces ongoing threats from habitat loss and environmental change. Moments like these, simple, intimate, and powerful, remind us what is at stake. Charcoal allows depth and contrast to emerge gradually, mirroring both the fragility and strength present in the natural world."

She is currently working on another albatross artwork for the same initiative. She has previously contributed artworks in support of ACAP, including the creation of a World Albatross Day poster. In addition, she mentors students and encourages their participation in conservation-led art projects; works by her students have also featured by ACAP, further extending conservation awareness through art.

“Help keep their laughter alive” by Andrea Siemt, water colour, after a photograph of a Chatham Albatross chick by Lorna Deppe

Andrea Siemt

Andrea Siemt has previously written to ACAP Latest News: “I was born in 1963 and live near Heidelberg in northern Baden-Württemberg.  Drawing and painting, along with photography, are my main hobbies.  About 10 years ago, I discovered ABUN and have since regularly contributed my work in charcoal, watercolour or pastel to animal welfare projects.  My pieces are often very colourful, reflecting my deep love for colour and for the beauty and diversity of nature. “

Andrea is being productive!  She has already submitted her second artwork for Project #52, depicting an Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross, and reports she is well into creating her third, for a Chatham Albatross once more.  ACAP looks forward to seeing it, and the hopefully many new artworks being produced by other ABUN artists on behalf of albatross conservation – and thanks them all.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 02 March 2026