Laysan Albatross
Holy Mōlī ! The Laysan Albatross of Ka’ena Point, O’ahu
The Laysan Albatross, mōlī, gets its name from its Laysan breeding colony in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. From November through July is the only time the Laysan Albatross will be found on land, nesting and raising their young. On O’ahu, hike out to Ka’ena Point Natural Area Reserve. There are over 400 mōlī spending the nesting season here. The reserve can also be seen from our pelagic birding charters.
There are two kinds of albatross in Hawaii: the ka`upu, or blackfooted albatross (Phoebastria nigripes-rare on the left in photo), and the moli, or Laysan albatross (P. immutabilis-endangered on the right in photo). The largest Oahu nesting ground for the Laysan Albatross is at Kaena Point, with 106 nesting pairs in 2023.
These amazing birds have been recorded to fly as far as 2,000 miles in one day in search of food. One of the favorite foods of the albatross is the eggs of the malolo (flying fish) and squid.
While not the largest of albatross, the Laysan wingspan is approximately 6.5ft and they may weigh as much as 5-9 pounds. Its range extends to most of the north Pacific Ocean. These albatross are white with a black tail and upper wings, dark patterns under the wings, with a black patch around the eye and pink bills, legs and feet.
They begin breeding and nesting in November, chicks usually start fledging in June and through July (very occasionally a late hatcher will leave in August). They can stay out at sea for as long as five years before returning to the same island on which they were born. They have elaborate courtship dances, and once mated they tend to remain faithful to their mate. In adulthood they rendezvous each year with their partner at the same nest site. Nesting time is the only time they spend on land, and each year the pair stays just long enough to hatch and raise a single chick.
On land, albatross are very awkward and often have difficulty taking off and landing. This has gained them the nickname of “Goony Bird”. Although albatross may be awkward on land, they are graceful and impressive in flight. An albatross in flight can be so perfectly attuned to wind conditions that it may not flap its wings for hours, or even for days, as it can sleep while flying. It takes advantage of the air currents just above the ocean’s waves to soar in perpetual graceful motion.
Albatross are the longest living birds on the planet. They usually don’t start breeding successfully until they are 8 or 9. In 2023 “Wisdom the Albatross” on Midway Atoll was documented at 72 years old. Wisdom has survived decades of storms, fisheries interactions, plastic pollution, and changing oceans, yet she continues to return to the same tiny patch of Midway Atoll each year. Her story is a living reminder of both the resilience of wildlife and the importance of protecting the ocean habitats these extraordinary birds depend upon.
- UPDATE: The latest news on Wisdom is remarkable: she is now estimated to be at least 75 years old, making her the oldest known wild bird in the world. She returned to Midway Atoll for the 2025–2026 breeding season, continuing a nesting record that spans nearly seven decades
One of the lesser-known threats facing Laysan albatrosses is plastic pollution in the open ocean. Adult birds forage across vast stretches of the Pacific, often collecting flying fish eggs that have become attached to floating plastic debris. While the adults can sometimes pass small amounts of ingested plastic, they unknowingly carry these fragments back to their chicks. Young albatrosses lack the ability to regurgitate or digest plastic, causing bottle caps, lighters, hard plastic fragments, fishing gear, and other debris to accumulate in their stomachs. This false sense of fullness can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, internal injury, and death. On some islands, researchers have documented thousands of pieces of plastic in a single nesting colony, making marine debris one of the most significant human-caused threats to these remarkable seabirds. Every piece of plastic kept out of the ocean helps reduce this deadly burden for future generations of albatrosses.
One fascinating Kaʻena Point-specific fact is that birds nesting there were found to ingest more than ten times less plastic than birds nesting on Kure Atoll, likely because the Oʻahu birds forage in different ocean regions. That makes Kaʻena Point an encouraging conservation success story, though plastic pollution remains an ongoing ocean-wide threat
You can also help albatrosses by:
- Reducing your use of plastics and making sure plastic litter goes into garbage cans. Discarded plastic ends up in the oceans, where albatrosses pick it up and eat it or feed it to their chicks.
- Avoiding unsustainably caught seafood. This includes fish caught by longline fisheries that do not use seabird-safe equipment. The Seafood Watch program offers convenient information and an app about sustainable seafood.
- Fly Wild with Us, Discover the Laysan Albatross on Fly Wild with Us: Discover the Laysan Albatross on Our Pelagic Birding Adventures!” Pelagic Birding Adventures!
