# Albatross Chicks (DD-599)

> The grey-headed albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma) is a mollymawk that breeds on islands in the Southern Ocean, with about half the world population on South Georgia. The IUCN lists it as Endangered. According to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), it usually breeds every other year. Eggs are laid in October, incubation averages 72 to 74 days, chicks hatch mostly in December, and they fledge in late April or May at about 116 to 145 days old. The single egg goes in a large mud-and-grass nest, typically on steep slopes or cliffs with tussock grass. At Bird Island, South Georgia, a British Antarctic Survey team used electronic weighing platforms under the nests to log chick mass every 10 minutes, nearly a million weighings in all. They found grey-headed parents delivered meals averaging 616 g, and with both parents foraging the chick got a meal about every 1.26 days. The diet is mostly squid, with some fish and crustaceans. Like other albatross chicks, they reach a peak mass well above adult weight, about 30% or more according to a 2000 study in Ibis, then slim down before fledging. Wikipedia, citing Bird Island studies, gives a peak of about 4.9 kg; adults average about 3.65 kg. The footage shows a grey downy chick on a pedestal nest above the sea, then a whiter, fluffier chick in tall tussock grass, illustrating albatross chicks at different stages or sites.

- Department: Nature (also Locations)
- First published: 2025-06-18
- Last updated: 2025-06-18
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/albatross-chicks/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## Quick facts

- **DD-599-F01**: Grey-headed albatross chicks peak heavier than their parents. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (Heavier than the parents))_
- **DD-599-F02**: Grey-headed albatrosses usually breed every other year. _(Write-up · Exhibit E (Every other year))_

## Write-up

A chick that outweighs its parents. Grey-headed albatross chicks get a meal about every 1.26 days.

1. **Long incubation**: Incubation averages 72 to 74 days, and most chicks hatch in December.
2. **Big meals**: At Bird Island, grey-headed parents delivered meals averaging 616 g.
3. **Frequent meals**: With both parents foraging, a chick got a meal about every 1.26 days.
4. **Heavier than the parents**: Chicks peak at 30% or more above adult mass, then slim down before fledging.
5. **Every other year**: Grey-headed albatrosses usually breed every other year and fledge chicks at about 116 to 145 days.

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## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: 'Nearly 5 kilograms before fledging': chicks peak at about 4.9 kg (30% or more above adult mass), then lose weight before they fledge, at a mass closer to their parents'.
- **Note**: 'Every 1.2 days': the Bird Island study found a meal about every 1.26 days with both parents combined. Each parent alone fed about every 2.5 days.
- **Note**: 'Squid and fish': the diet is mostly squid, with some fish, crustaceans and carrion.
- **Note**: 'Fledging at 141 days': ACAP gives a range of about 116 to 145 days, so 141 is within it.
- **Missing**: the species usually breeds every other year, and the IUCN lists it as Endangered, with numbers falling at South Georgia.

## Video: Albatross Chicks: A Chick That Outweighs Its Parents

- Duration: 22.0 s · Published: 2025-06-18
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DLDNq8kxSKm.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? Grey-headed albatross chicks, found on sub-Antarctic islands, face a remarkable yet perilous early life. Hatched from a single egg after a 72 day incubation, these chicks are nurtured in cone shaped nests of mud and grass on steep cliffs. Parents feed them over 600 grams of squid and fish every 1.2 days, ballooning their weight to nearly 5 kilograms before fledging at 141 days. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: About how long is grey-headed albatross incubation?**  
A: ACAP gives an average of 72 to 74 days. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Long incubation) · ACAP species assessment: Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma; Wikipedia: Grey-headed albatross)_

**Q: What was the average meal at Bird Island?**  
A: From nearly a million automated weighings. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Big meals) · Huin, Prince & Briggs (2000): Chick provisioning rates and growth in Black-browed and Grey-headed Albatross at Bird Island, South Georgia, Ibis; Wikipedia: Grey-headed albatross)_

**Q: How often did a chick get a meal, both parents combined?**  
A: Each parent fed about every 2.5 days. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Frequent meals) · Huin, Prince & Briggs (2000): Chick provisioning rates and growth in Black-browed and Grey-headed Albatross at Bird Island, South Georgia, Ibis)_

**Q: What happens to the chick's weight before fledging?**  
A: After peaking above adult mass. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Heavier than the parents) · Reid, Prince & Croxall (2000): Fly or die: the role of fat stores in the growth and development of Grey-headed Albatross chicks, Ibis; Wikipedia: Grey-headed albatross)_

**Q: How often do grey-headed albatrosses usually breed?**  
A: They are biennial breeders. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Every other year) · ACAP species assessment: Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma)_

## Sources

- [ACAP species assessment: Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma](https://www.acap.aq/acap-species/248-grey-headed-albatross/file)
- [Huin, Prince & Briggs (2000): Chick provisioning rates and growth in Black-browed and Grey-headed Albatross at Bird Island, South Georgia, Ibis](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.2000.tb04456.x)
- [Reid, Prince & Croxall (2000): Fly or die: the role of fat stores in the growth and development of Grey-headed Albatross chicks, Ibis](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.2000.tb04858.x)
- [Wikipedia: Grey-headed albatross](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey-headed_albatross)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Albatross Chicks." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-599, last updated Jun 18, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/albatross-chicks/