Flying colours

More than 16,000 black-browed albatrosses have been painted orange. But the ignominy could help save these natives of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic from an even worse fate. Each year, thousands disappear, and the resulting population crashes threaten to wipe out the colony. Most are thought to drown on fishing lines used by Atlantic boats. The orange paint, sprayed on by Ben Sullivan and a team from Falklands Conservation on Steeple Jason Island, will allow fishermen and inspectors on the boats to track and identify the birds.