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The name "Albatross" is derived from the Arabic al-qādūs or al-ḡaṭṭās (a pelican; literally, "the diver"), which travelled to English via the Portuguese form Alcatraz ("gannet"), which is also the origin of the name of the former prison Alcatraz.The Oxford English Dictionary notes that the word Alcatraz was originally applied to the frigatebird; the modification to albatross was perhaps influenced by Latin Albus, meaning "white", in contrast to frigatebirds, which are black. They ...
Jul 24, 2020 · A life in the air. But rather than flapping its wings, wandering albatrosses (and many other large albatrosses) travel such far distances by holding their extended wings in place so that the air ...
May 31, 2024 · An albatross is a large, magnificent seabird capable of soaring incredible distances without rest. Long viewed with superstitious awe by sailors, they spend most of their time gliding over the ...
The wandering albatross (D. exulans) has the largest wingspread among living birds—to more than 340 cm (11 feet).The adult is essentially like the royal albatross. It nests on islands near the Antarctic Circle and on some islands in the South Atlantic, and in the nonbreeding season it roams the southern oceans north to about 30° S.. The Amsterdam albatross (D. amsterdamensis) has a wingspread of 280–340 cm (9–11 feet).Once thought to be a subspecies of the wandering albatross, it was ...
An albatross aloft can be a spectacular sight. These feathered giants have the longest wingspan of any bird—up to 11 feet! The wandering albatross is the biggest of some two dozen different species.
Description of the Albatross. These birds are incredibly large, and have immense wingspans. The largest species, the wandering Albatross, has a wingspan of 12 ft. across!For birds with such large wings, they are surprisingly lightweight.
And they can travel almost 1,000 km per day without flapping their wings! They do this by using their enormous wings to ride the ocean winds. Albatrosses’ far-ranging foraging behaviour puts them in the path of fishing vessels around the world, where thousands of albatrosses meet their end accidentally caught in fishing equipment when diving for bait or fish discards.
Feb 21, 2024 · With their majestic wingspans and graceful flight, Albatrosses are among the most iconic seabirds inhabiting the world’s oceans. Belonging to the family Diomedeidae, these remarkable birds are renowned for their ability to soar vast distances with minimal effort, utilizing dynamic soaring techniques to traverse the expansive ocean expanses where they spend most of their lives.
albatross, Any of more than a dozen species of large seabirds (family Diomedeidae).Albatrosses are among the most spectacular gliders of all birds; in windy weather they can stay aloft for hours without flapping their wings.
Learn about the amazing adaptations and conservation challenges of albatrosses, the largest flying birds in the world, with Audubon's bird family guide.
