We found 17 interesting facts about albatrosses
Masters of Gliding
Albatrosses are among the largest birds in terms of wingspan. They are tireless in flight, covering hundreds of kilometers from one shore of the ocean to the other, gliding. They may go months or even years without visiting land. They are long-lived and faithful to their partner. They inhabit the windiest regions of the world and can be found in almost all the world's oceans.
1
Albatrosses belong to the family of large seabirds - albatrosses (Diomedeidae), an order of tube-nosed birds.
Piper noses have characteristic features:
- large beak with tubular nostrils through which excess salt is thrown out,
- these are the only newborn birds (mobile palate and partial reduction of some bones) with a good sense of smell,
- release a substance with a musky odor,
- the three front toes are connected by a web,
- Their flight over water is gliding, and over land their flight is active and short-lived.
2
Albatrosses spend most of their lives above the oceans and open seas.
They are found over the Southern Ocean (Antarctic Ocean, Southern Glacial Ocean), the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and the northern and southern Pacific Oceans. In the past, albatross also lived in Bermuda, as evidenced by fossils found there.
3
There are four genera in the albatross family: Phoebastria, Diomedea, Phoebetria and Thalassarche.
- The genus Phoebastria includes the following species: dusky-faced, black-footed, Galapagos and short-tailed albatross.
- To the genus Diomedea: royal albatross and wandering albatross.
- To the genus Phoebetria: brown and dusky albatross.
- To the genus Thalassarche: yellow-headed, grey-headed, black-browed, white-fronted, grey-headed, grey-headed and grey-backed albatrosses.
4
Albatrosses have a stocky body 71-135 cm long.
They have a massive beak with a hooked end and long but relatively narrow wings.
5
These birds are usually white with a hint of black or brown.
Only albatrosses of the genus Phoebetria have a uniform dark coloration.
6
According to the journal Thermal Biology, recent drone research has provided an unexpected explanation for the mystery of albatross wing coloration.
Albatross wings are white below and black above (for example, the wandering albatross). It was assumed that the two-tone coloring was camouflage (a flying bird is less visible both from below and from above). Meanwhile, scientists at New Mexico State University have found that two-tone wings have more lift and less drag. The black top surface effectively absorbs sunlight and heats up to 10 degrees higher than the bottom. This reduces air pressure on the upper surface of the wing, which reduces aerodynamic drag and increases lift. Scientists intend to use this discovered effect to create drones used at sea.
7
Albatrosses are excellent gliders.
Thanks to their long, narrow wings, when the wind is right, they can stay in the air for hours. They spend windless periods on the surface of the water as they are also excellent swimmers. When gliding, they lock out their wings, catch the wind and fly high, then glide over the ocean.
8
An adult albatross can fly 15 meters. km to bring food to your chick.
Flying around the ocean is not a great feat for this bird. The fifty-year-old albatross may have flown at least 6 million km. They fly with the wind without flapping their wings. Those who want to fly against the wind rise with the air currents, place their belly up the slope on the windward side, and then float down. They use the power of wind and gravity and move easily.
9
The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) has the largest wingspan of any living bird (251-350 cm).
The record individual had a wingspan of 370 cm. Andean condors have a similar wingspan (but smaller) (260-320 cm).
10
Albatrosses feed in the open ocean, but only during the breeding season can they feed on the shelf.
They feed mainly on squid and fish, but also eat crustaceans and carrion. They eat prey from the surface of the water or just below it. Sometimes they dive shallowly below the surface of the water, 2-5 m down. They also feed in ports and straits, and find food in sewage drains and among fish waste thrown out from ships. They often follow boats and dive for bait, which often ends tragically for them, as they can drown if they get caught in the fishing line.
11
Albatrosses spend the least amount of time on land; this happens during the breeding season.
Landing on solid ground is difficult for them because they have short legs, characteristic of seabirds.
12
Albatrosses breed after 5-10 years of life.
The wandering albatross has 7, even up to 11 years. The albatross, having reached reproductive capacity, returns to land during the mating season after spending time in the ocean. Initially, this is just courtship, which does not yet foreshadow a permanent relationship, but rather represents training in social skills. Birds fluff up, spread their tails, coo, stretch their necks, hug each other with their beaks, emphasizing those features that contribute to fertility. Courtship can last up to two years. These birds, whose “engagement” lasts longer, spend a lot of time hugging, giving in to tenderness, taking care of the feathers on each other’s head and neck.
13
Albatross relationships last a lifetime, but if necessary, they can find a new partner if they outlive their first.
The wandering albatrosses' breeding season lasts all year round, so most birds breed once every two years. Reproduction begins in summer and the entire cycle lasts about 11 months. After copulation, the female lays one very large (average weight 490 g) white egg. The female herself builds the nest, which has the shape of a mound of grass and moss. Incubation usually lasts 78 days. After hatching, the chick is cared for by both parents. Young wandering albatrosses fledge on average 278 days after hatching. Adult albatrosses feeding their chicks turn their food into a thickened oil. When one of the parents appears, the chick raises its beak diagonally and the parent sprays a stream of oil. Feeding lasts about a quarter of an hour, and the amount of food reaches a third of the chick's weight. The next feeding may take several weeks. During this time, the chick grows so much that parents can recognize it only by its voice or smell, but not by its appearance.
14
Albatrosses are very long-lived birds, usually living up to 40–50 years.
Recently, information has emerged about a female named Wisdom, who is 70 years old and has outlived her mating partners and even the biologist who first banded her in 1956. This female has just given birth to another offspring. The chick, considered “the oldest known wild bird in history,” hatched in early February 2021 on Hawaii’s Midway Atoll (the island, with an area of just 6 km², is home to the world’s largest breeding colony of albatrosses, numbering almost 2 individuals). million pairs) is a national nature reserve in the North Pacific. The chick's father is Wisdom Akeakamay's long-time partner, with whom the female has been paired since she was 2010 years old. It was also estimated that Wisdom mothered over XNUMX chicks in her lifetime.
15
In addition to albatrosses, parrots, especially cockatoos, are no less long-lived birds.
They often live to long ages and are reproductively active until the very end. Scientists estimate that in captivity they can live about 90 years, and in the wild - about 40.
16
Most albatross species are in danger of extinction.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified only one species, the black-browed albatross, as Least Concern.
17
Ancient sailors believed that the souls of drowned sailors were reborn in the bodies of albatrosses so that they could complete their earthly journey to the world of the gods.
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