Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE ALBATROSSES AND PETRELS

Albatross Species

The Albatrosses, of which some sixteen or eighteen species are known, are mainly birds of the southern tropical or subtropical seas, although two species are found in the North Pacific as far north as Alaska, and two other species are occasionally found on the Pacific coast of the United States; on the Atlantic side it is rare indeed to find them as far north as Tampa Bay.

They are invariably met with by ships that round Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope, and many a time has their presence”aroused the tired sailor's admiration by the power and endurance of their scarcely moving wings, which seem never to know or need a rest.”

The Albatrosses are among the largest of the water birds in existence, at least of those enjoying the power of flight.

The spread of wings, as already stated, may reach ten or twelve feet, yet the weight of the entire body of even the largest birds rarely exceeds sixteen or eighteen pounds.

The food of the Albatrosses consists of fish, cuttlefish, jellyfish, offal, and scraps thrown overboard from passing ships.

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