Short-tailed Albatross chick displaced but survives

Short-tailed albatross chick in washed over area of Eastern Island after a tsunami generated by a powerful earthquake off the coast of Japan struck the refuge at 11:36 PM on Thursday, March 10th and continued for the next few hours. On March 15, FWS released an official announcement stating that surveys of the three islands reveal that more than 110,000 albatross chicks – about 22% of this year’s albatross production – were lost as a result of the tsunami and two severe winter storms that hit in January and February. At least 2,000 adults also died. The Short-tailed albatross nest was washed over again due to the tsunami, but the chick was found unharmed about 35 meters away and carried back to its nest cup.