Abstract
Albatrosses and other seabirds are generally highly philopatric, returning to natal colonies when they achieve breeding age. This is not universal, however, and cases of extraordinary vagrancy are rare. The Tristan Albatross (Diomedea dabbenena) breeds on Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, with a small population on Inaccessible Island, Tristan da Cunha, ca 380 km away. In 2015, we observed an adult male albatross in Gonydale, Gough Island, which had been ringed on Ile de la Possession, Crozet Islands in 2009 when it was assumed to be an immature Wandering Albatross (D. exulans). We sequenced 1109 bp of the cytochrome b mitochondrial gene from this bird, and confirmed it to be a Tristan Albatross, meaning its presence on Crozet 6 years previous, and nearly 5000 km away, was a case of prospecting behaviour in a heterospecific colony. Given the challenges in identifying immature Diomedea albatrosses, such dispersal events may be more common than thought previously.
Highlights
Many seabirds exhibit a high degree of philopatry, returning to their natal colony to breed after a period of time at sea as pre-breeding immature birds (Hamer et al 2002)
We investigate the two possibilities: (1) that a Tristan Albatross from Gough Island was captured on land elsewhere, or (2) that a Wandering Albatross ringed at a French colony had settled on Gough and was attempting to breed with a Tristan Albatross
It was presumed to be a visiting immature Wandering Albatross and it was given French ring BS28275 and released; on Possession all Wandering Albatrosses have been captured and ringed annually since 1966 (Weimerskirch 2018). It was subsequently caught on Gough Island, nearly 5000 km away, on 7 January 2015 and a yellow colour ring with black text “N33” was added. It was paired with an unringed female Tristan Albatross, and failed at the egg stage between 12 and 23 April
Summary
Many seabirds exhibit a high degree of philopatry, returning to their natal colony to breed after a period of time at sea as pre-breeding immature birds (Hamer et al 2002) This prebreeding or prospecting period can be lengthy, in albatrosses and petrels (Procellariiformes), where it can last up to 10–15 years (Brooke 2004; Bicknell et al 2014). During this time, immature birds sometimes visit different breeding colonies, though usually settle at their colony of origin where they are recruited into the breeding population (Hamer et al 2002; Cooper and Weimerskirch 2003; Wails and Major 2017). This includes the Tristan Albatross (D. dabbenena), which is the most distinct species genetically within the complex (Nunn and Stanley 1998), but differs in phenotype only in being smaller and generally darker at a given age than Wandering Albatross (Cuthbert et al 2003)
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