Archived News

Peter Moore (Department of Conservation, Wellington New Zealand) and colleagues published a report late last year that details a band-removing exercise on Southern Royal Albatrosses or Toroa Diomedea epomophora on Campbell Island. A census was also undertaken with 7855 nests found.

The report’s abstract follows:

“Over 35 000 southern royal albatrosses (Diomedea epomophora; toroa) were banded on subantarctic Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku between the 1940s and 1990s. The banding has had an unfortunate side effect, with an unacceptable number of birds being injured by their bands. To remedy this, it was decided that bands would be removed from most birds on the island. From 2004 to 2008, the island was searched annually for royal albatrosses, including in previously defined study and index count areas. Any bands found were removed and injuries were treated. During these searches, 2882 banded birds were found. Of these, 72 (2.5%) had major injuries, 8.5% had minor injuries and 12% had open bands (≥ 3 mm) with the potential to cause future injuries. The majority of major and minor injuries were to males because their larger legs had made closing the bands problematic. Injury rates were highest from birds banded in the 1960s and 1970s (particularly 1979), when poor banding practice combined with the tendency of the large R bands to spring open. At Col and Moubray study areas, the aim was to replace bands, and new 1.25 mm thick stainless steel bands were trialled. R bands were found to be reliable for use on females when closed with an improved technique, but larger and springier RA bands were rejected for males because some opened > 3 mm and one re-banded bird was injured. Males at Col were subsequently marked with transponders to retain their marking history. The search for bands provided an opportunity for a census, and the composite total of 7855 nests found, or an estimated 8300–8700 breeding pairs at the beginning of the breeding season, represents a levelling in the royal albatross population on Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku since the last census in 1995. Numbers of albatrosses in the study and index areas were stable (one area) or had declined (four areas) since the late 1990s and breeding success also decreased from 79% to 68% at Col Study Area. These data suggest conditions are currently less favourable for southern royal albatrosses.”

Southern Royal Albatross.  Photograph by Aleks Terauds

Reference:

Moore, P.J., Larsen, E.J., Charteris, M. & Pryde, M. 2012. Southern royal albatross on Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku. Solving a band injury problem and population survey, 2004–08. DOC Research and Development Series No. 333. Wellington: Department of Conservation. 53 pp.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 20 March 2013