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Two male albatrosses courting each other over David Attenborough's narration is what love's all about

'This could still be the one with whom he will share the rest of his life.'

Two male albatrosses courting each other over David Attenborough's narration is what love's all about
Cover Image Source: BBC/Youtube

Nature documentaries give us a glimpse into the habitats and behaviors of wildlife that we have never seen. These beautiful documentaries are calming and often teach us facts about various species on our planet. In a documentary narrated by David Attenborough, we get to see the courtship between two albatrosses. The new episode of "Frozen Planet II" features two male birds engaging in courtship behavior. Albatrosses are spectacular birds that have the biggest wing span among the species. Their wings can span up to 11 feet, giving them their classic majestic look, according to National Geographic. They use their wings to effortlessly fly over oceans and they sometimes can rest for hours in the air without flapping their wings. These birds are rarely seen on land but when they are sighted, it's a feast for the eyes. 



 

 

Through the use of "ritualized dances," pairs of these birds develop bonds over a number of years and last for the duration of their entire life, according to Comic Sands. Two male albatrosses were seen bonding with these dances and a clip of this beautiful and rare moment was posted on BBC's YouTube channel. The sub-Antarctic islands become prospective breeding grounds for albatrosses in the spring because of the longer days, according to Metro UK. The episode described the process of albatross mating rituals after a female seabird caught the attention of a male bird. In one scene, a male who was 14 years old and now old enough to choose a mate, performed a complex courtship ritual that included sky-pointing, a double head bob and coordinated wing-spreading.



 

 

His attempts to woo the female, however, were unsuccessful as another male flew in, followed by a number of others. They all started flexing their own wings to see whose was broader because, as David points out, the wider the span, the more appealing they will look. The female albatross became flummoxed by all the attention and took off into the sky. However, the young albatross found a new companion in another male bird that swooped in for his attention. 

David said in his narration, "This could still be the one with whom he will share the rest of his life," as albatrosses sometimes have the same partner for over 50 years. Due to the fact that there are currently three times as many male albatrosses as females, the biologist noted that same-sex relationships are becoming "increasingly common" among albatrosses.



 

 

People were completely delighted to see this queer relationship in the most beautiful seabird on the planet. A user wrote on Twitter, "Didn’t think I’d have tears in my eyes over two gay albatross’s this weekend but here we are." Another said, "those cute little gay albatross’ on #FrozenPlanetII made my Sunday evening. #loveislove even in the world of seabirds." Some people even joked about how seabirds have found love even when they aren't able to. One person wrote, "Pretty pissed off that even gay albatrosses can find a partner for life, and here’s me — 38 and single!" Another commented, "Not gay albatross finding it easier to get a partner than me." 

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