Two females try for chick

Two female royal albatrosses are incubating an egg, an unusual pairing for the colony on Taiaroa Head.

They were among 20 to 25 pairs of endangered albatrosses that have nested this season, Department of Conservation Taiaroa Head ranger Lyndon Perriman said.

"We've got a few new ones trying for the first time, and the ones you'd expect."

The albatrosses had just completed egg laying, which produced 21 eggs, of which 17 were fertile.

This year, the colony had an unusual pairing of two female albatrosses incubating an egg, he said.

Two seasons ago, the two females shared nesting with a male.

Their attempt at nesting was not successful.

Last season, the group returned but did not breed.

The male had not returned to the two females this season and was instead showing interest in an older female bird.

It was the third time a female-to-female pairing had been recorded on Taiaroa Head.

The egg the two females were incubating was fertile, so one of them had been near a male at some stage, Mr Perriman said.

Having two females do the parenting should not be a problem, although in other albatross species it had been shown male and female albatrosses fed in different areas, providing backup if one feeding ground dried up, he said.

The eggs are due to hatch in the middle of January.

rebecca.fox@odt.co.nz