SearchThe Northern royal albatross is large bird that is graceful and sublime in flight. In fact, they fly so efficiently and with a wingspan of over 10 feet that they have been recorded as traveling as much as 10,000 miles without landing. They only land when breeding.
Bird cams at Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve in New Zealand, monitor nesting sites and are home to the only mainland colony of albatross in the Southern hemisphere. Certain areas are chosen to record nesting and individual histories and to stream videos.
The cameras recently captured this less than graceful landing.
The adult bird, probably landing to feed the chick, plants his feet and then somersaults eventually arriving on his back pedaling the air. Not his best landing then!
Scroll down the Department of Conservation site to discover how the staff have developed the site to improve breeding success.
