A wandering albatross chick stares at a crouching David Attenborough

Date

1992

Description

Creator of the image: Ben Osborne
Date of the image creation: 1992
Medium: Photograph
Person depicted: David Attenborough

This photograph depicts English naturalist David Attenborough with a wandering albatross chick, on the island of South Georgia, a remote British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The photo was taken on location during the filming of Life in the Freezer, the forth instalment in his acclaimed Life series. Down on one knee, Attenborough looks with his characteristic and infectious wonder at a massive, fluffy albatross chick, which stares back at him at about eye level.

This chick is the baby of around 1,500 breeding pairs of albatross that populate the remote island. These birds have the largest wingspan of any living bird, typically ranging from 2.5 to 3.5 metres. This massive reach means that they can stay in the air for several hours at a time, and cover vast distances, without flapping their wings. They are a monogamous species that can breed every two years and mate for life; which can exceed 50 years. Albatross are considered a vulnerable species, with their biggest threat being human beings and long-line fishing.

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