Albatross

Albatross birds are considered the largest flying birds which belong to the family Diomedeidae. The Albatross wingspan is the longest among other birds and reaches up to 12 feet (3.7 meters). Аlbаtrоsses are considered as the masters of soaring flight as they are аble tо glide оver vаst trасts оf осeаn withоut flаррing their wings. They are fully аdарted tо their осeаniс existenсe and sрend most of their lives in the same manner.  Mоst  live  in  the  Sоuthern  Hemisрhere, except  the  blасk-fооted  аlbаtrоss  оf  the  Hаwаiiаn  аrсhiрelаgо  аnd  а  few  neаrby  islаnds. The shоrt-tаiled аlbаtrоss breeds neаr Jараn whereas,  the wаved аlbаtrоss and the  Lаysаn аlbаtrоss are found in the equatorial  Gаlaраgоs and the Nоrth Расifiс respectively. Albatross is also commonly known as Mollymawk or Gooney due to its tameness on land. 

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Scientific Classification of Albatross

The general scientific classification for the Albatross bird has been provided in the table below:

Albatross Bird - An Overview

Albatrosses are known as efficient travellers among all other vertebrates in the world. They deplete little or no power soaring loads of miles over the sea each day using dynamic hovering and slope hovering. They also have a tendon in every shoulder locking their wings completely extended. Therefore, as soon as they aloft and are soaring across any breeze, they do not need to flap their wings. Albatross hunts by smell and are very sensitive to carrion odour and several biological processes like that of a vulture.

Albatross mostly survive on squid, fish, and krill with the aid of either scavenging, floor seizing, or diving.  They are colonial creatures and are often found nesting together on remote oceanic islands. The breeding period for Albatross may last over a year starting from laying to fledging as they lay only one egg per breeding attempt. Out of all the 22 Albatross species recognized by the IUCN, all of them are either critically endangered, threatened, or vulnerable. All of the 22 species are having a high level of concern. Several albatross have died earlier due to harvesting for feathers. They are also threatened by rats and feral cats which attack their eggs, baby albatross, and even the nesting adults. Pollution and overfishing have also imposed a threat on the Albatross and have resulted in their declination.

Distribution of Albatross

Maximum albatrosses are found inside the southern hemisphere from Antarctica to Australia, and in South Africa and Southern U.S. The exceptions to this are the 4 north pacific albatrosses. Out of the four Albatross types, three occur solely within the North Pacific, ranging from Hawaii to Japan, California, and Alaska. The fourth type, i.e.,  the Waved Albatross, breeds inside the Galapagos Islands and feeds off the coast of South America.

There is still no reason for the extinction of albatrosses from the North Atlantic. However, the rising levels of the sea due to an interglacial warming period are believed for submerged short-tailed albatross colony which has been excavated in Bermuda. A few Southern Albatross species have now turned up as vagrants within the North Atlantic and might become exiled, remaining there for decades. For example, a black-browed albatross had returned to Gannet colonies in Scotland for many years for breeding.

The oldest-know Laysan Albatross was found on Midway Island and was named Wisdom It was the oldest wild bird in the world and was first banded by Chandler Robbins in 1956.

Breeding in Albatross

Albatrosses are colonial creatures and are usually found living in remote islands where colonies are on larger landmasses. They are also often found on exposed headlands like the colony on the Otago Peninsula in Dunedin, New Zealand. Many Buller's albatrosses and black-footed albatrosses nest under trees in open forests. Many Buller albatrosses and black-footed albatrosses live under trees in the open forest. The colonies range from the thick layers that the mollymawks prefer to the most fragile groups and the wide-range nests that are favoured by sooty and large albatrosses.   All albatross colonies are on islands that historically did not have land mammals. Albatrosses are very specialized, which means that they often return to their colony to breed. This trend is so strong that a study on Laysan albatrosses showed that the average distance between the nesting site and the hatching site was 22 m (72 ft).

Albatrosses live much longer than other birds. They are slow to reproduce for a long time and invest a lot of effort in breeding. Many species live for more than 50 years, the oldest being the Laysan albatross called Wisdom which was introduced in 1956 as a mature adult and hatched another chick in February 2021, making her at least 70 years old. She is confirmed to be the oldest wild bird found in the world.

Albatrosses reach sexual maturity a little later, after about five years, but once they reach maturity, they do not begin to reproduce for another few years (even 10 years for some species). Before breeding, the young Albatross nonbreeders attend a colony and spend many years learning and practising the breeding rituals and dances (which is commonly found in the family of Albatross). After a period of trial and error learning, the young birds learn the syntax and perfect the dances. This language is mastered more rapidly if the younger birds are around older birds.

Hatching and Nesting

The great albatrosses or wandering albatross take over a year to raise a chick from laying to fledging. Albatross lay one small, white egg with reddish-brown spots, during the breeding season. If the egg is lost from predators or accidentally broken, then no further reproductive efforts are made this year. Large eggs weigh between 200 grams and 510 grams.

All southern albatrosses make large nests of their eggs, using grass, shrubs, soil, peat, and even penguin feathers, while three species in the North Pacific form unusual nests.

The waved albatross, though, makes no nest and even moves its egg around the pair's territory, as much as 50 m (160 ft), sometimes causing it to lose the egg.  In all albatross species, both parents incubate the egg in stints that last between one day and three weeks. The incubation period lasts about 70 to 80 days, the longest incubation period for any bird. It can be a very energy-intensive process, in which an adult loses 83 grams of weight a day.

Did You Know?

Given below are eight interesting Albatross facts that everyone should know:

1. They have the largest wingspan as compared to any bird.

2. An albatross can have a length of up to 135 centimetres.

3. They can travel several miles in a single flap.

4. They can fly for years without even touching the land.

5. They have a lifespan of over 60 years.

6. TAlbatross can spend  80% of their lives at sea.

7. They have the ability to smell food from a distance as far as 12 miles in water.

8. They can drink seawater and excretes the salt through their eye glands.