Royal Albatross Nest, Taiaroa Head
A northern royal albatross nest at the only mainland colony on Earth, live from the Otago Peninsula.
About this view
This live cam sits on a northern royal albatross nest at Taiaroa Head, the headland at the end of the Otago Peninsula — the only place in the world where these birds breed on a mainland rather than a remote island. New Zealand's Department of Conservation set the camera up in 2016; the Cornell Lab has run it with them since 2019.
The albatross is a slow, enormous animal: a wingspan of around three metres, a single egg, a chick that sits on the nest for most of a year while its parents commute across the Southern Ocean to feed it. Rangers walk in now and then to weigh the chick, which is as close as the drama gets.
The season runs from eggs in November to a fledging around September (UTC+12, +13 in summer), so a chick is on the nest for most of the year; in the gap between fledging and the next egg the frame may hold only wind and grass.
Nearby cams
Frequently asked questions
- Where is the Royal Albatross Nest, Taiaroa Head live cam located?
- The camera looks over Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula, in New Zealand. Its position is 45.774°S, 170.729°E, which you can open on our world map.
- What time is it at the Royal Albatross Nest, Taiaroa Head camera?
- Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula runs on UTC+12, and the live clock at the top of this page shows the current local time and whether it is day or night there. It is worth checking before you watch: this view changes completely between the middle of the night and the busiest hours of the day.
- Are there other live cams near Taiaroa Head, Otago Peninsula?
- Yes — the closest ones are Sydney Harbour, Sea-Eagle Nest and Peregrine Falcon Nest Box. They are listed under "Nearby cams" further down this page, and every camera we carry is plotted on the world map.
- Is this stream really live?
- Yes. This is a real 24/7 live feed broadcast by Cornell Lab Bird Cams, played through the official YouTube player — free, no account needed. Every stream in our catalogue is checked automatically before each update to confirm it is still live and watchable.
