Albatross is an itinerant: description, origin of the name, way of life, habitat

The most legendary sea bird, of course, can be called an albatross. In the family to which he refers, only about twenty species. But the wandering albatross is distinguished by the size and length of the wing. He earned fame thanks to his love of long journeys over the sea surface. The bird itself is very amazing, let's get acquainted with it more closely.

Why is the wandering albatross so called?

It is believed that the name of the bird was invented by Spanish navigators in the fifteenth century. Then they called all the big birds alcatrazes. The English pronounced the word in their own way, and it sounded like an "albatross". The name and was fixed everywhere.

Thanks to the physiological characteristics, most of the life is spent in flight by the wandering albatross. The origin of the name is connected with this fact. It is often possible to see how a bird accompanies steamships. Indeed, the albatross behaves like a real wanderer, constantly wandering from one sea to another, and only occasionally lands on oceanic islands.

What does the wandering albatross look like?

Adult birds have completely white plumage, except for small black inclusions on the back surface of the wings. Young individuals are somewhat different in appearance. Chicks have brown plumage, which only eventually fades and becomes white. Echoes of "young" coloration are usually found on the chest as a small stripe.

The fluff of the albatross covers the body with a solid and dense layer. The plumage is light and warm, it is closer to the swan by physical properties. Typically, the paws are pale pink, and the eyes have a dark brown hue. The beak is powerful, so for some birds the wandering albatross looks awesome.

The description of eyewitnesses is amazing. Some travelers say that the albatross is almost the size of a man. Indeed, the body in length reaches almost 120 centimeters. But the wingspan is more amazing, which can be more than three meters!

Habitat of the albatross-traveler

Albatross can rightly be called a big and strong bird. It calmly flies a thousand kilometers over the water surface. Therefore, home can be considered not dry land, but oceans and seas. The abode of this traveler is the waters adjacent to the icy Antarctica and the southern shores of Africa, Australia and America. Individual individuals can be found in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet, but extremely rarely.

Wandering albatross: food

As a rule, as a food, this bird prefers fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. The Albatross catches them on the surface of the water or dives after them to a shallow depth. Most often he does it in the dark. This majestic bird likes to profit during a storm, because with waves on the shore a lot of food is thrown out.

The wandering albatross does not disdain the garbage that is thrown from the ships. Therefore, very often you can see how this bird accompanies ships floating far from the shore, in the hope of intercepting something edible. There are individuals that settle in fishing areas (for example, on the Patagonian shelf or the Falkland Islands). There the albatrosses together with the petrels turn into banal scavengers and feed on the waste left from the production of seafood.

Albatross is a bird of prey, so there were enough bloodthirsty cases with a man. The dead people who tried to escape from the storm were found with mutilated faces and broken eyes. Specialists confirmed that this was done by an albatross. One captain said that he witnessed the attack of this bird on the sailor. Such cases have happened, but are, rather, an exception.

Life in flight

As already mentioned, most of the life of this bird takes place in flight. Daily it can cover a distance of two hundred to a thousand kilometers. This fact is explained by physiological features. First of all, it is worth noting hollow bones and air bags, thanks to which quite a bit the wandering albatross weighs. The wingspan of up to four meters is simply ideal in aerodynamic terms.

Such physiological features allow the albatross to use air currents during flight. Muscular efforts are almost not applied. The bird makes wings only with takeoff and landing, and the rest of the time it hovers. And so it can continue for hours. The wandering albatross lands for reproduction only. Above fifteen meters above the water does not rise. At a low temperature of air and on windless days it flies even lower. The bird loves the storms and moves beautifully against the wind.

Ornithologists believe that in ten days five thousand kilometers can easily be overcome by a wandering albatross. The way of life is constant flying, and this is the norm for a traveling bird. One interesting case of a ringed individual was described. Albatross was released in the Tasman Sea, and six months later he was found near South Georgia. About six months later the bird was met near the coast of Australia. Ornithologists believe that the wandering albatross can make several round-the-world trips in its entire life.

Features of takeoff and landing

It is believed that the wandering albatross never sits on the water. Of course, this is a myth. All the food of the bird (crustaceans, fish and shellfish) lives in the water. Moreover, albatrosses even dive after it at a shallow depth.

But on the deck this traveler tries not to land. This is explained by the fact that the albatross is difficult to rise from the flat surface due to short legs and long wings. So it is with the rise from the surface of the water in the calm. The albatross wanders in such weather for a long time sitting on the sea surface, the air rises heavily and reluctantly. To do this, you have to work hard.

First, the bird gathers speed, pushing its feet from the surface. Then low flies over the sea surface, sometimes flapping wings. And again lands on the water. So until until finally rises into the air.

The landing of the albatross is even more interesting. The bird stretches webbed paws forward and opens wide its wings. Then he carefully touches the water with his feet, lifting up the spray. So, like on skis, the albatross slides a few meters, after which it gradually folds its wings.

The way of life of a bird-traveler

Albatross - a single bird, but only during nesting is going to colonies. The traveler prefers a monogamous relationship, so he forms a couple for life. Relationships are broken if the partner dies or can not withdraw the chicks. Only then the albatross is looking for another pair to continue the genus.

This traveler lives on average twenty years. Some are killed by chicks from predators. But it is worth noting that there is information about individuals who survived to the age of fifty.

Peculiarities of the marriage period

The life span of this bird is quite large, but there are not so many descendants. Usually, it begins to nest no earlier than eight years, and the next chicks only after a few years.

The mating season begins in December, then the colonies come together. The wandering albatross of the habitat for nesting chooses warmer. These are the subantarctic islands, Macquarie, Kerguelen, Crozet and South Georgia. The nest is built on cliffs, rocky slopes and deserted banks, which are well blown by the wind.

Before mating, wandering albatross perform a special dance. During it, females and males widely spread their wings, rub their beaks, bow and go towards each other. The ritual lasts a long time and ends with a raising of the head to the sky with the release of a loud scream.

The incubation period of the wandering albatross

Arrange the nest partners together. For this, they use old structures or make new ones from grass, moss and flowers. The nest turns out rather big (about a meter in width and thirty centimeters in depth). The wandering albatross lays only one egg, but a fairly large one, a half kilogram in weight.

Nasizhivanie lasts eighty days. During this time, the partners change each other every two weeks. But most of the time the male takes care of the nest. In search of food, he can leave the female for a month and fly several thousand kilometers. During the incubation, birds can even lose about fifteen percent of their weight.

Caring for chicks

After hatching, the female and male gaze after him for a week. The first twenty days parents feed the young albatross daily. Later they do it less often, but they give more food. In the intervals between feedings the chick remains alone, so it often becomes prey for predators.

So the young individual is in the nest for eight more months. Of course, under such conditions, the wandering albatross can not nest often. Usually these birds acquire offspring once every two years. Therefore, at the same time you can see how some partners feed the chicks, while the other pairs just sit their eggs.

Once you see a wandering albatross, you will never forget it. Dimensions and manner of flight are simply amazing and remain in your memory forever.