Page 389 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

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ORDER PROCELLARIIFORMES
Wandering Albatross

Diomedea exulans
LENGTH 1.1–1.35m
1
1
(3 / 2 –4 / 2 ft)
WEIGHT 8–11.5kg
(18–25lb)
HABITAT Remote islands
(breeding); open ocean
DISTRIBUTION Southern Ocean, south Atlantic,
southern Indian and Pacific oceans
LONG
This legendary sea bird has the largest
recorded wingspan of any bird, at INCUBATION
up to 3.5m (11/2 ft). It is restricted
1
to the windswept southern oceans, Wandering Albatrosses build
where it feeds mainly on squid, large, mound-like nests from
snatching its food from the surface mud, grass, and moss. Their single
of the water. It is capable of remaining egg has one of the longest
airborne for weeks at a time and incubation periods of any egg,
frequently follows ships, soaring over taking between 75 and 82 days
the waves on its stiff, outstretched to hatch. The solitary chick then
wings. The Wandering Albatross takes remains in the nest for up to nine
up to 11 years to mature, and during months, where it is fed by both
that time it gradually loses its juvenile its parents. During very severe
plumage, becoming all white except weather, the chick may be left
for black markings on the tips and unattended for days at a time.
trailing edges of its wings. These birds
nest on remote islands, typically
breeding in alternate years.

ORDER PROCELLARIIFORMES
Black-browed
Albatross

Thalassarche melanophrys
LENGTH 83–93cm
(33–37in)
WEIGHT 3–5kg
(6 1 / 2 –11lb)
HABITAT Remote islands
(breeding); open ocean
DISTRIBUTION Southern Ocean, south Atlantic,
southern Indian and Pacific oceans
Also known as the Black-browed
Mollymawk, this is the most
numerous and widespread of the
albatrosses. It is found from Antarctica
to the edge of the tropics, and in
places even further north. Its wings,
back, and tail are greyish black, and
it has a distinctive black brow above
each eye. It feeds on fish, squid,
octopus, and crustaceans, and is also
a frequent ship-follower, congregating
in large numbers when waste is
thrown overboard. Black-browed
Albatrosses breed on remote islands
and take at least five years to become
mature. They are among the few
southern albatrosses that regularly
cross the Equator – isolated sightings
have been recorded as far north as
the British Isles. OCEAN LIFE