New Zealand 紐西蘭 - 南半球的淨土
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Northern Royal Albatross (北方皇家信天翁) @ Otago Peninsula, New Zealand (紐西蘭 奧塔哥半島)
Northern Royal Albatross @ Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula
Planned to take a photo from above the albatross with the beautiful blue ocean as a background, I waited patiently in an observation hut. Finally, I was so lucky to have this moment rewarded.
Northern royal albatrosses are listed as an endangered species by the IUCN. They have a breeding range of 8 km^2, where 6,500 to 7,000 pairs breed on the Chatham Islands annually along with 60 pairs at Taiaroa Head, for an estimated total of 20,000 birds.
To help in the survival of this species, bird banding is underway. Taiaroa Head has predator control in effect during the breeding season, and there are no predators on the Chatham Islands. Enderby Island and Taiaroa Head are nature preserves, and the Department of Conservation had eradicated feral cattle, rabbits and mice from Enderby Island by 1993.
信天翁是種大型海鳥，其平均翼展可達3公尺，被稱為「羽翼最長的鳥」。信天翁可以在海上長時間飛行，除了產卵以外極少在陸地停留。
信天翁是一夫一妻制，每當到了繁殖的季節，信天翁總會返回到相同的地方，找回原來的伴侶。雌性和雄性之間的伴侶約定關係長達數年之久，有的甚至持續一生。世界自然保護聯盟已將皇家信天翁列為瀕危的物種。
