Royal Albatross Shows Off Her GPS Tag Before Nap Time In New Zealand | DOC | Cornell Lab

Watch as the Northern Royal Albatross Cam zooms in on BOK while she preens before settling in for a nap in New Zealand. As she works through her feathers, you can spot the small GPS tag attached to her back. These tags help DOC rangers monitor where albatrosses travel at sea using satellite data, and they naturally fall off when the adults molt.

RoyalCam was set up in January 2016 by the Department of Conservation and the Cornell Lab has been collaborating with DOC since 2019 to bring the cam to life. To learn more while watching, view the cam at

https://www.doc.govt.nz/royalcam

or at

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/albatross

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Royal Cam is a 24-hour live stream of a Northern Royal Albatross nest during the breeding season at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head on the southeast tip of New Zealand's South Island.

The 2025–26 season features an established pair at the Plateau nest site: 11-year-old male WYL (named for his leg bands—White, Yellow, Lime) and 12-year-old female BOK (Blue, Orange, blacK). This duo has been breeding together since 2022, but this is their first season as the featured pair on the Royal Cam. Their initial breeding attempt was unsuccessful; however, their second attempt produced a male chick that successfully fledged in 2024. This year’s fertile egg was laid on November 6, 2025.

Follow the cam at https://x.com/RoyAlbatrossCam

to get all the updates during what’s sure to be another action-packed season on New Zealand’s South Island.

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