Wandering albatross

The wandering albatross is a large seabird of the family Diomedeidae. It is also called the snowy albatross or white-winged albatross.[3] It is the largest member of the genus Diomedea (the great albatrosses) and has the largest wingspan of any living bird.[4] It can have a wing-span of up to 11.5 feet (3.50 m).[5] The IUCN says it is a vulnerable species.[6]

Wandering albatross
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Procellariiformes
Family:
Diomedeidae
Genus:
Diomedea
Binomial name
Diomedea exulans
(Linnaeus, 1758)[2]
Diomedea exulans

Behavior

Wandering albatross live together when breeding, which they do once every two years.[7] They are monogamous, and usually mate for life. They can live for over 50 years,[8] and adult mortality is only 5 to 7% a year (this is very low for birds).[4]

Communication

They make many kinds of noises, such as screams, whistles, grunts and bill clapping.[4] When they are looking for a mate, they spread their wings, wave their heads and tap their bills together.[9] They feed at night on cephalopods, small fish, and crustaceans[4][7]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2008)
  2. Brand, S. (2008)
  3. Clements, James 2007. The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World. 6th ed, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-4501-9
  4. Robertson, C.J.R. 2003. Albatrosses (Diomedeidae). In Hutchins, Michael (ed). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins. 2nd ed, Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 113–116, 118–119. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0
  5. Dunn, Jon L. & Alderfer, Jonathon 2006. Accidentals, extinct species. In Levitt, Barbara (ed) National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 5th ed, Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society, p. 467. ISBN 978-0-7922-5314-3
  6. BirdLife International (2008). "Diomedea exulans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 17 Feb 2009.
  7. Harrison, Colin; Greensmith, Alan 1993. Non-Passerines. In Bunting, Edward (ed) Birds of the World. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley, p48. ISBN 1-56458-295-7
  8. Is foraging efficiency a key parameter in aging? (2010)
  9. BirdLife International (2008a). "Wandering albatross - BirdLife Species Factsheet". Data Zone. Archived from the original on 2 January 2009. Retrieved 17 Feb 2009.

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