Nesting numbers of the Wandering albatross on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island are at their highest level in more than a decade, according to surveys by rangers.
The wandering albatross has a new lease on life on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, with pairs of the giant bird nesting in numbers not seen for more than a decade.
Six of the eggs had hatched when Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service ranger Sara Larcombe completed a survey this month. The Black-browed albatross and its chick nesting in the Falkland Islands, although this species is also found over Antarctic waters.Feral rabbits, introduced by sailors as a food source in the early 1800s, also severely hampered the species' breeding.
"When the rabbits were here they had a really detrimental impact. They really hammered the tussock, the plants that cover a lot of the ground," Ms Larcombe, who is stationed on the island, said.
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