Melinda Conners, on Tern Island, Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge -- This unique bird is the product of a union between a Laysan albatross and a black-footed albatross. Both of these species breed on Tern Island.

Because of his large size and weight, we think he's a male; we'll find out for certain after some genetic analysis. In appearance, he's almost a perfect blend of the two species. He has black feet and a dark head, with white around his beak and eye, like a black-footed albatross. But his beak is a light orange-pink, and his wings and body are two toned -- dark wings and lighter body -- like a Laysan. He tends to socialize mostly with black-footed albatross, but his dance repertoire contains moves from both species. His vocalizations also sound like a mixture between the two species.
In the non-breeding season , when Laysan and black-footed albatrosses live at sea and search for food, the two species head to different areas. The black-footeds forage mostly off the coast of California and British Columbia, while the Laysan forage throughout the North Pacific.
Well, being a product of these two species, the big question is: Where will Prius go?? The answer might tell us a lot about the genetics and the evolution of foraging behavior. We attached an archival tag that records a location once a day, and he will wear the tag until next winter, when he returns to Tern Island. We wish Prius the best of luck in his foraging adventures around the Pacific and look forward to learning more about his travels. Bon voyage, Prius!

[Ed. note: Melinda Conners, a graduate student at California State University, San Bernadino, and working under Scott Shaffer, has been on Tern Island since January 23. She's been putting satellite tags on black-footed and Laysan albatross adults to see where they're foraging for food for their chicks. Since the birds are spending more time at sea now, she's beginning to remove the tags as they return to the nest. She'll finish her work at the end of this month.]