Classification
Wandering albatrosAlbatross, common name applied to large seabirds make up the family Diomedeidae in the order Procellariiformes. The s is classified as Diomedea exulans, the Laysan albatross as Diomedea immutabilis, and the black footed albatross as Diomedea nigripes.
Appearance
A hooked upper mandible characterizes albatross’ bills with tubular nostrils protruding from the base. The feet are strongly webbed and lack a hind claw; the wings are long and narrow. The wandering albatross has a wingspan of around 3.4 meters. The plumage of adults is white with black wing tips. The Laysan albatross is a smaller, brown winged species with a sooty black spot near the eyes and a gray bill. Another smaller species is the black footed albatross.
Distribution
Thirteen species of albatross can be found mainly throughout seas of the Southern Hemisphere, from the Antarctic region north to the Tropics; a few species inhabit the North Pacific Ocean.
Lifestyle/Breeding
Albatrosses are nomadic birds that spend months wandering great distances over the oceans. They sleep while floating on the ocean surface, drink sea water, and feed on cuttlefish, other small marine animals, and refuse from ships. They return to land only to breed, at which time they perform a stylized courting ritual of elaborate bowing and posturing. Albatrosses nest on barren islands, close to shore; usually the nest is a depression in the ground containing a single egg. When hatched, the nestling is covered with brownish down, and it grows to adulthood relatively slowly.
Behavior
Albatrosses are relatively fearless around humans, who have nicknamed the birds “gooneys.” Nesting sites near military airstrips on small islands have sometimes created problems because of the birds' interference with takeoffs and landings. Albatrosses also often follow a ship for days, diving steeply into the water to recover refuse from the wake of the ship. The birds are easily caught with baited hook and line; captured birds usually are released, however, because of a superstition commonly held by sailors that killing an albatross brings bad luck.
Diet
Albatrosses feed mainly on a diet of squid and fish, although it is known to dive under ships and collect refuse.