This season's Royal Cam family
LGK and LGL (Top Flat) WYL and BOK (Top Flat Track) 2023/24
LGK and LGL with Top Flat chick
Image:DOC
Top Flat
Kiwa (male chick, banded E24)
- Egg laid: 7 November 2023
- Hatched: 23 January 2024
- Fledged: 23 September 2024
Female
- Known as: LGL (Lime/Green/Lime bands)
- Age: 15 years, hatched 2008
- Breeding since: 2017/18
Male
- Known as: LGK (Lime/Green/blacK bands)
- Age: 12 years, hatched 2010
- Breeding since: 2017/18
Family history to date
Following a failed egg in 2017 LGK and LGL have raised 2 Royalcam chicks, Karere and Tiaki.
Read about Tiaki. LGK, LGL and Tiaki were GPS tracked.
LGK and LGL returned last season as expected following their year off after fledging Tiaki but unexpectedly did not lay an egg.
Bonus viewing of Top of Flat Track
WYL and BOK
Offspring
- Egg laid: 14 November 2023
- Male chick hatched: 31 January 2024
- Banded E25
Female
- Known as: BOK (Blue/Orange/blacK bands)
- Age: 10 years, hatched 2013
- Breeding since: 2022/23
Male
- Known as: WYL (White/Yellow/Lime bands)
- Age: 9 years, hatched 2014
- Breeding since: 2022/23
Family History to Date
WYL and BOK were first time breeders during 2022/23 but their egg did not hatch.
Previous Royal Cam families
- 2023: GLY, L and Manaaki
- 2022: OGK, YRK and Lilibet
- 2021: LGK, LGL and Tiaki
- 2020: OGK, YRK and Atawhai
- 2019: LGK, LGL and Karere
- 2018: GO, WO and Amīria
- 2017: BK, RBK and Tūmanako
- 2016: YWK, KGY and Moana
GLY, L and Manaaki 2022/23
Royal albatross chick Manaaki has a GLS (Global Location Sensor) tag attached to one of his leg bands
GLY and L are new to the Royal Cam as a nesting pair but have each made guest appearances in front of the cam. GLY famously and rather unusually fed Karere during 2019. Spectacularly, this is quite likely L landing in front of Tiaki in 2019. Their chick was named Manaaki by public vote on World Albatross Day,19 June 2023.
Manaaki (male chick)
- Laid: 4 November 2022
- Hatched: 20 January 2023
- Fledged: 16 September 2023 age 239 days
Female
- Known as: L (Lime band, she has lost her Orange and Yellow bands)
- Age: 13 years, hatched 2009
- Breeding since: 2019
Male
- Known as: GLY (Green/Lime/Yellow bands)
- Age: 12 years, hatched 2010
- Breeding since: 2019
- His Dad is YWK so is a half sibling of Moana.
Family history to date
This pair have been together since 2019. 22/23 is their third season breeding. They nested at South Plateau where Karere was raised. They have fledged one male (2019) and one female chick (2021). Their breeding attempts have been uneventful, and the male chick of 2019 was also fed by GLY after he fed Karere.
L returned to Pukekura during 2014 and GLY in 2015. They were both non-breeders looking for mates from 2016 to 2018.
OGK, YRK and Lilibet, 2021/22
See the moment the chick became the first to fledge from the headland in 2022
OGK and YRK have moved down the hill to Quarry Track since raising Atawhai at Top Flat in 2020. They are in view of the Richdale Observatory.
Lilibet (female chick named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II)
- Laid: 9 November 2021
- Hatched: 26 January 2022
- Fledged: 3 September 2022, 220 days old
Female
- Known as: YRK (yellow/red/black bands)
- Age at time: 28 years, hatched 1994
- Breeding since: 2006
Male
- Known as: OGK (orange/green/black bands)
- Age: 24 years, hatched 1998
- Breeding since: 2006
Family history to date
This pair have been together since 2006. This was their eighth breeding attempt. They have now fledged six of their own chicks and one foster chick.
They have raised the foster chick after the egg they laid was broken during 2018. The first chick they raised is a breeding female and the natal mother of the 2018 Royalcam chick, Amīria. During 2021 their 2012 chick RLK (male) raised a chick known as SSTrig near the Royalcam chick, Tiaki.
LGK, LGL and Tiaki, 2021
Watch our highlights video for the 2021 season
LGK and LGL nested this season up the hill from their previous nests at Top Flat. The chick was named Tiaki by public vote on 11 May 2021.
Tiaki (female chick)
- Laid: 7 November 2020
- Hatched: 24 January 2021
- Fledged 25 September 2021 (age: 244 days)
Female
- Known as: LGL (lime/green/lime bands)
- Age: 12 years, hatched 2008
- Breeding since: 2017
Male
- Known as: LGK (lime/green/black bands)
- Age: 11 years, hatched 2009
- Breeding since: 2017
- His dad is GO, the foster dad of past Royal Cam chick, Amīria
Track the Royal family
You can see where Tiaki and her parents have been while they had trackers fitted.
Family history to date
LGK and LGL have been together since 2017 and this is their third breeding attempt. Their latest egg hatched on the 24 January 2021.
The day after it was first laid, the egg weighed 424 g. We confirmed fertility on day 12 by candling, at which time the weight of the egg had dropped by 10 grams. The drop was a sign of a growing embryo inside the egg.
LGK and LGL’s first two nests were at South Plateau. The pair had a failed egg on their first attempt, then fledged a chick on their second. Their first chick was our Royal Cam chick for 2019, Karere. Read about Karere.
OGK, YRK and Atawhai, 2020
Watch our highlights video about Atawhai
Last season Royal Cam began a partnership with Cornell Bird Lab. We launched our new features including a trial of night vision and the ability to pan the camera.
Atawhai (female chick)
- Laid: 14 November 2019
- Hatched: 31 January 2020
- Fledged 16 September 2020 at 230 days of age
Female
- Known as: YRK (yellow/red/black bands)
- Age at time: 26 years, hatched 1994
- Breeding since: 2006
Male
- Known as: OGK (orange/green/black bands)
- Age at time: 22 years, hatched 1998
- Breeding since: 2006
Family history to date
This pair have been together since 2006. This was their 7th breeding attempt.
Two years earlier they raised a foster chick after the egg they laid was broken. The first chick they raised is a breeding female and the natal mother of the 2018 Royalcam chick, Amīria. Two more of their off-spring are in varying stages of mate selection.
The nest was between the observatory and Signal Station at Top Flat Track placing the Royalcam higher up the hill than previous seasons. The egg was laid on 14 November 2019.
LGK, LGL and Karere, 2019
Albatross chick, Karere
Image: DOC
Chick: Karere
- Hatched: 24 January 2019
- Fledged: 23 September 2019 at 243 days of age
Hear how to pronounce ‘Karere’ (MP4, 239K).
Female
- Known as: LGL (lime/green/lime bands)
- Age at time: 11 years, hatched 2008
- Breeding since: 2017
Male
- Known as: LGK (lime/green/black bands)
- Age at time: 10 years, hatched 2009
- Breeding since: 2017
Family history to date
This pair has been together since 2017 and this was their second breeding attempt following a failed egg on their first attempt.
LGK and LGL made their nest at South Plateau directly across from the observatory towards the Signal Station. The egg was laid on 6 November and was the ninth egg out of the 51 eggs to be laid during the 2018 and 2019 season.
GO, WO and Amīria, 2018
Albatross chick Amīria
Image: DOC
Chick: Amīria
- Laid: 5 November 2017
- Hatched: 27 January 2018
- Fostered: 7 March 2018
- Fledged: 7 September 2018 at 229 days of age
Foster male: GO (green/orange bands)
Foster female: WO (white/orange bands)
Family history to date
The parents are each other's second mates. GO's first mate was BOB (blue, orange, blue) and WO's was OBR (orange, blue, red).
GO and BOB's first surviving chick was a breech hatch and the observatory closed for 2 days to minimise disturbance as the chick was in extremely poor condition. This chick was famously named Fred (because his life was hanging on by a thread) and survived! He even fledged a chick in 2017.
GO and WO's nest is about 20 m up the track from the 2016/17 webcam chick Tūmanako. They were seen nest building to the side of the camera view once Tūmanako had fledged.
The pair laid an egg at Top of Bluff Track on the 5 November 2017. Their egg died late in the incubation and they received a foster chick who had been deserted as an egg by her natal parents (GKY, male 11 yrs, and KBR, female 11 yrs).
BK, RBK and Tūmanako, 2017
Albatross chick Tūmanako after "spilling"
Image: DOC
Chick: Tūmanako
- Laid: 12 November 2016
- Hatched: 28 January 2017
- Named: 4 July 2017
- Fledged: 28 September 2017 at 243 days of age
- Returned: 19 December 2021 at 1803 days of age (approx. 5 years)
- Banded ROR (Red, Orange, Red) 24 December 2021
Male: BK (blue/black bands)
Female: RBK (red/blue/black bands)
Family history to date
During a weigh in when Tūmanako was about two months old, he got quite agitated and as a defensive behaviour he 'spilled' on himself. Spilling is a defence mechanism where the chick ejects a smelly, sticky substance called ‘proventriculus oil’ when it feels threatened. You can see it on the chick's face.
When Tūmanako was just days old he became unwell and lost weight. He was much smaller than other chicks who hatched at the same time. So he was moved to a foster nest closer to our rangers office so they could closely monitor him.
Another chick was put in his place for BK and RBK to foster. When Tūmanako recovered, he swapped places with his parents foster chick. The foster chick could not be placed with its original parents, as they deserted it when the chick was still in its egg.
YWK, KGY and chick, 2017
Chick
- Laid: 7 November 2017
- Hatched: 22 January 2018
- Died: 18 February 2018. Sadly, this chick died after attack by a parent
Male: YWK (yellow/white/black bands)
Female: KGY (black/green/yellow bands)
YWK, KGY and Moana, 2016
Watch our highlights video on Moana's time on Royal Cam
Chick: Moana
- Laid: 6 November 2015
- Hatched: 18 January 2016
- Named: 21 June 2016
- Fledged: 6 September 2016
- Confirmed returned on 15 January 2023 at 7 years old
- Banded Yellow A55 on 15 December 2023
Male: YWK (yellow/white/black bands)
Female: KGY (black/green/yellow bands)
Family history to date
YWK and KGY both started breeding at 8 years of age but YWK is KGY’s second mate and KGY is YWK’s third mate. YWK has fledged 3 chicks with his first two mates before breeding with KGY.
YWK and KGY laid their egg on 6 November 2015. Their chick Moana began hatching on the 18 January 2016 and took three days to fully emerge.