This hilarious faceplant by an albatross in New Zealand is just what we all need to brighten our day

Birds are often celebrated for their beauty, grace, and finesse.

However, one rather clumsy albatross might have just shattered that image.

During a livestream, a northern royal albatross in New Zealand pulled off a spectacular faceplant upon landing – its ungraceful fall has left thousands of viewers laughing.

Captured on Saturday at Taiaroa Head near Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island, the video shows a fluffy six-week-old albatross chick calling out to an adult preparing for its landing, but things take an unexpected turn.

Sadly, the bird crashes in spectacular fashion, tumbling headfirst and rolling into the tall grass. Upside down, it flails its legs wildly for a moment before regaining its composure and sheepishly walking off camera.

As the video wraps up, the chick, who had the best seat in the house, is left alone, gazing out across the sea.

This clip, which has garnered over 200,000 views on Twitter, was captured during a live stream organized by the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) in collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The live stream, called RoyalCam since 2016, is part of a series of “bird cams” set up by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a research and conservation organization at New York’s Cornell University.

The northern royal albatross, the world’s largest seabird with a wingspan of over three meters (9.8 feet), is typically described as a “graceful giant,” according to the DOC.

The DOC has tagged the albatrosses nesting at the Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve, tracking their activities throughout each breeding season.

“Albatrosses are truly marvels of engineering, built for flight over the ocean or 'dynamic soaring.' With the ability to lock their wings, they can glide over the sea for hours,” said Rory Crawford, manager of the albatross task force at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, in an interview with Dinogo on Tuesday.

“However, they’re not the best at landing, and this bird likely misjudged the wind or encountered an unexpected gust.”

The task force works to reduce the number of seabirds unintentionally caught as a result of fishing activities.

When asked whether the albatross might feel embarrassed by its awkwardness, Crawford remarked that these birds engage in complex courtship rituals that are often highly coordinated, so appearing graceful is likely important to them.”

The albatrosses at Taiaroa Head face significant threats due to factors such as “slow reproductive rates, habitat and climate changes, and certain fishing practices,” as stated on the DOC’s website. These birds only return to land to breed and raise their young, with just one chick raised every two years.

“Albatrosses are the most endangered group of seabirds worldwide,” Crawford explained to Dinogo. “Of the 22 albatross species, 15 are at risk of extinction, and the greatest threat they face at sea is unintentional capture by fishing operations.”