Scientists from the University of Liverpool suggested that albatrosses that roamed with their older mates hunted faster so that their older mates wouldn’t starve for long while incubating the eggs. The research was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
Wandering albatrosses hold the record for longest wingspan (3 meters on average) and can live up to 50 years. They usually mate for life and hatch with the same partner every two years. At the same time, one of the spouses goes to the sea for food, while the other watches the nest. The average separation time to hunt is 12 days, during which time the attached parent is forced to go without food.
Researchers attached small position sensors to 142 birds (71 pairs) nesting in the remote Crozet archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean.
The scientists found that birds that are “married” to older birds go out to forage less and return to the nest sooner than those with younger mates. Ornithologists have suggested that this behavior is due to the birds’ estimation of how long their older mates can live without food. Both parents who rely on each other to raise the chicks will ultimately benefit. The authors stated that their assumptions are theoretical and require confirmation.