Entertainment
Frozen Planet II viewers ‘sobbing’ over gay albatross romance after male is rejected by female-Alicia Adejobi-Entertainment – Metro
The two males coupled up out of companionship rather than survival.
Mating is just as hard for albatrosses as it is for humans (Picture: BBC)
Frozen Planet II left viewers feeling all the emotions after an unexpected love story between two male albatrosses.
Sir David Attenborough’s stunning nature series returned to BBC One on Sunday night, visiting the icy waters of Antarctica.
The episode detailed how the albatross mating ritual unfolds after a female bird attracted the eye of a male admirer.
In spring, the longer days turn land in the sub-antarctic islands of the Antipodes into potential breeding ground for albatrosses.
One scene showed a 14-year-old male, now mature enough to select a partner, carry out an elaborate courtship ritual, including sky pointing, a double head bob and synchronised wing-spreading.
However, his chances at wooing the female albatross are scuppered when another male swoops in followed by several other males, all of who begin flexing their own wings to see whose is larger – as Sir David notes, the greater the span, the more attractive they will appear.
Size matters: The greater the wing span, the more attractive the male appears (Picture: BBC)
The female got overwhelmed with the male attention and flew off (Picture: BBC)
However, the 14-year-old albatross found another suitor, this time one of the same sex (Picture: BBC)
Soulmates: Albatrosses can stay together for up to 50 years (Picture: BBC)
Overwhelmed by all the advances, the female albatross flies off into the skies leaving her teen suitor deflated.
But, his spirits are soon perked up when another male swoops in with hopes of courting the singleton.
‘This could still be the one with whom he will share the rest of his life,’ Sir David narrates, noting that albatrosses can stay committed for up to 50 years.
The conservationist explained that same-sex relationships between albatross birds are becoming’ increasingly common’ as there are currently three times as many males as females.
‘The female albatross is now declining fast,’ he said.
‘A same-sex partnership like this may bring no survival advantage, but is apparently preferable to a life alone.’
Viewers’ hearts melted at the emotional scenes, with one tweeting: ‘Those cute little gay albatross’ on #FrozenPlanetII made my Sunday evening. #loveislove even in the world of seabirds.’
‘Aww the gay albatross couple. We all need companionship you see,’ another chimed in.
One viewer tweeted: ‘Sorry but the gay albatross birds on frozen planet have me sobbing.’
‘The antipodean albatross said gay right,’ another applauded.
Frozen Planet II returns to BBC One next Sunday at 8pm.
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