Albatross
by HInde LiepmannsohnAlbatrosses were believed to be carriers of the mariner’s soul; if a mariner killed an albatross, he would be cursed for the rest of his life. The poem of Samuel Taylor Coleridge "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" written in the 18th century, captured this legend, as it recounted the tragic fate of a ship who’s captain killed an Albatross.
The word Albatross is derived from the Spanish or Portuguese word “Alcatraz”, which means Pelican or Strange Bird. The word is of Arabic origin, al-gattas, which means “the diver”. Albatross birds are part of the biological family of Diomedeidae, order Procellariiformes which means “the tubenoses”. Alongside the pinkish to black beak of Albatrosses, also known as bill, are located two tubes that give the name to its order. These tubes enable them to have an acute sense of smell which is uncommon among birds. Most Albatrosses plumage is dark on the top of their wings and back, while the underside is often white. There are some variations across species: The Northern Albatrosses (Diomedea Sanfordi) are smaller in size, while the Southern Albatrosses (Diomedea epomophora) possess wings that are entirely white with a black tip. Across species, females tend to be slightly bigger than males.
The Albatross bird measures between 20 and 50 inches long (50 to 125 cm) and weighs over 20 pounds. (over 9 kilograms) One of the largest existing sea bird, it also possesses the biggest wings among all birds, extending across 11 feet.(3.05 meters) These wings allow the albatross to glide better than any other bird and fly long distances without flapping its wings. But the wings of the Albatross also become its weakness at take off, as the bird struggles to flap them rapidly. As a result, Albatrosses are mainly found on cliff edges where elevation enables them to simply fall into the air to reach the necessary speed. Their tails and web-footed feet serve as brakes.
This bird is found all over the globe, from the Pacific to the Southern Oceans, with the exception of the artic. A majority of species remains in the Southern hemisphere. The Diomedea Exulans, most commonly called Wandering Albatross is the biggest specie of Albatross. It spends between 10 and 20 days flying distances over 6000 miles (10000 km). Adults can fly over 500 miles a day (804 km), reaching speed of 50 mph. (80kph)
Flying is what the albatross enjoys the most. The bird travels long distance to search for food or to reach its breeding location. The Albatross Bird is a scavenger. It spends couple minutes a day in the water where it dives-in to feed. Some albatross species mainly eat squids while others consume a variety of small marine life, such as fish and crustaceans. Albatrosses are also often found following fishing boats to catch the refuse.
When they first meet, the Albatross males and females engage in a seductive and elaborate dance. All albatross birds will remain with the same partner for the rest of their life. If one of the partners gets killed, the bird might not get another partner for years, if at all. Mating occurs only every other year in most albatross species, below the mating frequency of the majority of other birds. The black-browned albatross (Diomedea melanophris), is the only one that breeds once a year. Most Albatross birds reach sexual maturity after the 10th year and have a life span of over 60 years with some reported birds living as long as 80 years.
The Albatross is a colonial breeder. The incubation of the one and only egg lasts 2 to 3 months. The female guards the egg at first, but the male also incubates. Once the chick is born, both parents will take turn to feed it, sometimes traveling long distances to find food. The Diomedea epomophora, commonly known as Royal Albatross uses the same nesting location every year, as do many Albatross species. The nest is usually located on an island to which Albatrosses will return, as they are philopatric birds: their place of birth often remains the breeding location for most of their adult lives. The chick stays in the same colony for several years to learn the dancing rituals. When it fledges, which sometimes takes over one year, it might remain in the air for a couple of years before landing again.
The population of Albatross birds is declining It is estimated that 100000 albatrosses die annually when getting caught in longline hooks (fishing lines that are single-stranded) and in gill-nets; these fishing methods are the bird’s greatest threats. 19 of the 23 recorded species are currently nearly threatened to critically endangered, especially the ones living in the North Atlantic. The Amsterdam Albatross and Chatham Albatross are the two most extinct species.
