Albatrosses are considered very large and strong birds. In one day, birds fly up to 1000 km. The native home for albatrosses is the vast expanse of the ocean. They may not see land for several weeks, spending all their time above the water. As a rule, albatrosses live above the waters of three oceans from Antarctica to the southern coasts of Africa, Australia and America. The albatross is an Antarctic bird. Some species live only in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet, but many of them have also chosen the southern part of the Earth.

Appearance

by the most large species of this bird are:

• Royal albatrosses;
• Wandering albatrosses.

The length of both species reaches 130 cm, and the weight is 10 kg. The wingspan of the royal and wandering albatross reaches 340 cm. As for the females, their size is practically no different from the size of the males. The wings of birds differ in their rigidity, have an arcuate shape. The wings are long but very narrow. There is also a thickened streamlined leading edge. The beak is quite large. The tip of the beak is bent, and the edges are sharp. The nostrils are located on the sides of the beak. Such nostrils provide individuals with a very good sense of smell.

To move in the air, birds use updrafts of air reflected from the surface of the ocean. Initially, the albatross gains height, and then, on spread wings, glides over the surface, gradually descending to the surface of the water, examining it along the way. Birds descend to a height of 1 meter. At this height, they can fly 22 meters horizontally.

Albatrosses save energy thanks to the special design of the wing and planning. It is for this reason that birds can stay in the air for several hours without flapping their wings. When there is complete calm, the albatrosses are forced to flap their wings, but at this time they prefer not to fly at all. Albatrosses have always been considered a bad sign for sailors, as their appearance spoke of the approach of a storm.

To relax, albatrosses sit on the water or on the masts and decks of ships. Due to the fact that birds have very long wings, they need a run to take off. Albatrosses prefer to take off from cliffs or steep slopes.

Color

As for the color, in some species on the upper body plumage black color. The upper part of the wings is also painted in the same color. The bird's chest white color, like the wings on the inside. This color is characteristic of the royal albatross. He only has black feathers at the end of his wings. The rest of the plumage may not be white, but dark brown, almost black.

Juveniles can be distinguished from adult birds by the color of their plumage. The plumage takes on a different shade when the birds reach puberty, and this occurs 6-7 years after birth.

What do they eat?

Regardless of the species, whether it is a wandering albatross or a royal albatross, birds feed mainly on the following food:

In addition, representatives of these birds can also eat dead inhabitants of the waters, of which there are a lot in the expanses of the seas and oceans.

Albatrosses often nest in wake ships and ships, accompanying them for a long time, absorbing all the waste that is thrown into the sea or ocean. And if on the way the birds come across some kind of floating base for the processing of marine products, then albatrosses are ready to fly for such ships for months for several thousand miles. However, such a way of life for individuals is a common thing. After all, it is not in vain that the wandering albatross received just such a name. These birds are constantly on the move.

area

Albatrosses are considered eternal nomads. They not only do not have a permanent habitat, but they are in constant motion, capturing almost the entire planet with their flights. As mentioned earlier, such birds spend most of their lives over the ocean or sea surface far from the coast. Not seeing sushi for months is quite normal for these birds. Albatrosses fly at a speed of 50 km / h, sometimes their speed can reach 80 km / h. At this speed, birds can fly almost around the clock. On a day, albatrosses cover a distance of almost 1000 km. The individuals that were tagged with geolocators circled the entire planet in a month and a half, and some of them did this more than once.

An interesting fact is that, despite such a homeless life, albatrosses nest strictly in certain places. Each species has its own places for nesting:

• the Falkland Islands;
• Galapagos Islands;
• Japanese islands;
• Hawaiian Islands and many others.

Each bird always returns exactly to the place where it was born.

Studies show that individuals equip their nests at a distance of about 22 meters from the place where they themselves were born. What amazing accuracy and phenomenal topographical memory for individuals who have not seen the earth for years!

Reproduction and lifespan

Albatrosses are characterized monogamous Lifestyle. Such birds in their entire lives find only one pair for themselves and remain faithful to their chosen one until the end of their days. As mentioned earlier, maturation in individuals begins at 6-7 years of their life, so they begin to start families at the onset of this age. It happens that birds are looking for a mate for several years. The process of courting a female is very interesting. When meeting, the males perform a kind of mating dance in front of their companion. This courtship can last for several days.

If the female liked the male, then they spend some more time at the place of their acquaintance, and then they go to a desert island and begin to justify their future home, building nests from grass and moss.

Female Albatross lays only one egg, which they incubate in turn. The birds change among themselves, as a rule, every 2-3 weeks. It is enough to incubate an egg long time. The chick is born only at 75-80 days. For this reason, albatrosses lose up to 20% of their mass during the entire incubation.

The growth of the chick is very slow. For the first three weeks, the parents feed him every day, and then only once every few days. The birds take care of their offspring for a whole year, until the chick gets stronger and is able to get its own food on its own.

That's why marriage period in birds happens no more than once every 2-3 years. In some cases even less often. However, no matter how long the break takes, every autumn the male flies to the island and waits there for his chosen one, who, as a rule, arrives a little later. So it goes on family life these unusual birds. If one of them does not arrive on the island, then the second remains alone until the end of his life. Their union is so strong.

The lifespan of wandering albatrosses and other species is approximately 50 years.

Enemies

It is worth noting that the mortality of these birds is low. Above the open ocean or sea surface, birds are practically not threatened. Danger can arise only during the mating season, when the birds nest. But this happens very rarely. As a rule, predators do not live on islands where pairs nest. A threat can only appear from:

• Rats, which are most often brought by people to uninhabited land;
• From feral cats, which are also left here by people.

These enemies can attack both parents and small chicks.

In the last century, the greatest threat to birds was man. People mercilessly exterminated such birds for the sake of feathers, which were used to decorate ladies' hats. Currently, almost all species of albatrosses are protected by the World Conservation Union.

Albatrosses have earned fame for long distance travel over the surface of the ocean, as well as the fact that they have the largest wingspan in the world of birds. They are isolated in a separate family of albatrosses, which includes a total of 21 species. Together with petrels, storm-petrels and Cape doves, they make up the order Pipe-nosed, which in its physiology differs sharply from other birds.

White-backed albatross (Phoebastria albatrus).

Albatrosses are large birds, in their squad they are larger than petrels, not to mention small storm petrels and Cape doves. Weight large species can reach 11 kg, the wingspan averages 2 m. Outwardly, albatrosses look like large gulls, but this resemblance is exclusively external. The first thing that catches your eye is the "gull" beak - long, narrow, with a sharp hook at the end. But in fact, the beak of these birds is arranged in a special way: firstly, its horny cover is not continuous, but consists of separate plates, as if sewn together; secondly, the nostrils of albatrosses are elongated into long tubes (for which they were called tube-nosed), which are located on the sides of the beak. These tubes play an important role in the life of albatrosses, because the special structure of the nostrils allows these birds to smell at a great distance. A keen sense of smell is the greatest rarity in the world of birds, and in albatrosses it is developed like in real bloodhounds. In addition, the inside of the beak often has notches that prevent slippery prey from falling out of the beak.

A wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) next to a small representative of the tube-nosed - the Cape dove.

The body of albatrosses is dense and massive, the neck is of medium length, the tail is short and bluntly cut. The paws of albatrosses are relatively short, there are swimming membranes between the fingers. On land, albatrosses move clumsily, waddling from side to side like ducks or geese, but still they walk better than other tube-nosed birds, which often barely hobble on land. The wings of albatrosses are narrow and very long compared to other birds. This wing structure allows birds to glide using air currents rising from the surface of the ocean. In addition, the wings of albatrosses have a special tendon that allows you to spread the wing without expending muscle effort. In terms of the relative and absolute length of the wings, albatrosses are world champions. In small species, wings are up to 2 m long, in large wandering and royal albatrosses, the average wingspan is 3-3.3 m, and the largest copy of the wandering albatross had a wingspan of 3.7 m!

The wings of a wandering albatross are comparable to those of a small single-seat aircraft.

The plumage of these birds is dense and adjacent, the fluff is thick, light and warm, and the fluff covers the body of the albatross with a continuous layer, while in other birds it grows only along certain lines - pterylia. The warm fluff of albatrosses in its physical properties approaches that of a swan. The color of albatrosses is not bright, in small species brown tones predominate, in large ones they are white. Individual parts of the body (head, wings) in white birds can be contrastingly colored gray or black. Birds of both sexes are colored the same.

Light-backed sooty albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) on the island. South Georgia.

Albatrosses are inhabitants of the Southern Hemisphere, here they are found everywhere in cold and temperate latitudes. During migrations, albatrosses can fly far north and are found up to the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, but they never fly into the Arctic Ocean.

The Galapagos albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) is the only species that breeds at the equator.

Albatrosses are eternal nomads, they not only do not have permanent habitats, but are in constant motion, covering the entire planet with their flights. Most of the time, albatrosses spend over the surface of the ocean away from the coast; it is quite normal for these birds not to see land for months and even years (albatrosses sleep on the surface of the water). The average flight speed of albatrosses is 50 km / h, but they can increase it up to 80 km / h. At such high speeds, albatrosses can fly almost around the clock, overcoming up to 800 km per day! Geolocated albatrosses circled the globe in 46 days, some of them doing it multiple times. Interestingly, despite such “homelessness”, albatrosses nest in strictly defined places. Each species occupies nesting sites on certain islands (Falkland, Galapagos, Japanese, Hawaiian and many others), and each bird returns strictly to the place of its birth. Studies have shown that albatross nests are located on average at a distance of 22 m from the place where they themselves were born! Amazing accuracy and phenomenal topographical memory for birds that haven't seen land in years!

The black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) soars above the ocean waves.

But albatrosses have another interesting quality. The fact is that different species prefer to forage in different places: some hunt off the coast at a distance of up to 100 km from the coastline, others - far from land. For example, the wandering albatross categorically avoids those areas of the ocean where the depth is less than 1000 m. But how birds determine the depth if they get food only at the surface of the water remains a mystery. During nesting on the islands, birds of different sexes can share feeding areas, for example, males of the Tristan albatross flew only to the west in search of food, and females only to the east.

The Tristan albatross (Diomedea dabbenena) takes off from the surface of the water.

They use updrafts of air reflected from the surface of the ocean to move in the air. First, the albatross gains height, and then glides on spread wings, smoothly descending to the surface of the water and examining the water surface along the way. Descending by 1 m in height, the albatross manages to fly 22-23 m horizontally. The gliding and special design of the wing allows the birds to save energy, so they can stay in the air for hours without making a single wing beat. In complete calm, albatrosses are forced to flap their wings, but at this time they prefer not to rise into the air at all. For this reason, albatrosses have always been considered a sign of trouble among sailors, since their appearance near the ship meant the approach of a storm. For rest, albatrosses sit on the water, but on occasion they willingly use the masts and decks of ships. Because of the long wings, these birds have a hard time taking off; they take a run, preferring to take off from cliffs or steep slopes.

Black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes).

Outside nesting territories, albatrosses are found singly, but in places rich in food, they can form aggregations with representatives of their own species, other species of albatrosses, as well as gulls, petrels, boobies. On occasion, they track the movement of feeding whales, killer whales and fishing boats, willingly picking up the remains of someone else's prey or fishing waste. Albatrosses treat their fellows and other birds calmly, the character of these birds is very meek and trusting, for example, on nesting albatrosses they can let a person come close to them.

Albatross is studying a phaeton located nearby.

Albatrosses feed on fish, squid and crustaceans, but they can also eat small plankton and carrion. Some species prefer fish, while others prefer squid. Albatrosses track their prey from the air and grab from the surface of the ocean with their beak on the fly, but if necessary, these birds can dive from the air or from the surface of the water to a depth of 12 m.

Black-browed albatross colony in the Falkland Islands. In the foreground, a couple is engaged in marital courtship.

Albatrosses breed once every 2 years, at which time they flock to their birthplaces. The location of nests in a colony may be scattered or crowded. The black-browed albatross has the tightest colonies, which can have up to 70 nests per 100 m². Albatross nests are raised ground or a bunch of grass with a hole in the middle. Galapagos albatrosses do not have nests at all, so they sometimes roll their eggs around the colony in search of a better place at a distance of up to 50 m! There are cases when eggs were lost during such skating. With the loss of masonry, albatrosses can make a second one.

Black-footed albatrosses on tiptoe perform a mating dance.

Albatrosses are monogamous birds, they remain faithful to a partner all their lives and recognize him after many months of absence. The process of forming a couple stretches for years. For the first few years, young birds fly to nesting sites and lek, but do not find a partner for themselves, as they do not fully know sign language. Over time, they hone their skills and find a suitable partner, and birds of the same pair form their own unique "family" set of signals. Interestingly, the established pair ceases to lek over time, that is, albatrosses use the mating ritual only to create a pair, and not to mate at all. The mating ritual is reduced to sorting out the feathers of oneself and one's partner, turning the head, throwing back the head and loud cackling, flapping the outstretched wings, clicking the beak and grabbing the partner's beak (“kisses”). The voice of albatrosses resembles a cross between the cackling of a goose and the neighing of a horse.

A wandering albatross performs a mating song in front of a female.

Albatrosses always lay only 1 large egg and incubate it in turn. Change of partner occurs very rarely - from once a day to once every three weeks. All this time, the birds sit motionless on the nest and do not eat anything, while significantly losing weight. The incubation period of albatrosses is the longest among all birds - 70-80 days.

Black-browed albatross female with chick.

Parents first incubate and heat the hatched chick in turn: while one parent sits on the nest, the second hunts and arrives with prey. For the first three weeks, the chick is fed with small pieces, which the parents regurgitate to the chick, then both adult birds leave the nest and visit it less and less. True, at one time they bring a large amount of food (up to 12% of their own body weight), but it is customary for albatross chicks to sit alone in the nest for several days. During feeding, the chicks accumulate in their stomachs an oily mass of semi-digested food, which serves as their energy reserve.

The giant wandering albatross chick has spent almost a year in the nest.

The nesting period for albatrosses is unprecedentedly long - the chicks leave the nest after 140-170 (for small species) or 280 (for the wandering albatross) days. During this time, they manage to molt twice and gain weight in excess of the weight of an adult bird. The upbringing of the chick ends with the fact that the parents finally leave the nest, and the chick ... remains. He can spend a few more days or weeks in the nest until the molt ends, then the chicks independently go to the shore, where they develop wing flapping for some more time. Often the chicks spend this non-flying period on the water and at this time they are very vulnerable to sharks, which specially come to the islands to hunt the chicks. Apart from sharks, albatrosses have practically no natural enemies. Young albatrosses fly from their birthplaces to the ocean, only to return here after a few years. The coloration of young birds is always darker than that of adults; over the years, they gradually lighten. Puberty in these birds comes very late - by 5 years, but they begin to participate in reproduction only from 9-10 years. Low fecundity and late maturity compensates for a long lifespan, albatrosses live up to 30-60 years!

The remains of an albatross with plastic debris that the bird ingested while alive.

In the old days, albatross nesting sites were used by sailors and whalers for eggs, blubber and down. Eggs were collected by hand, fat was rendered from chicks, and fluff was collected from their carcasses. At one time, several tens of thousands of eggs and several tons of fat could be imported from the island. The mass slaughter of already infertile albatrosses at nesting sites led to a sharp reduction in their numbers, and in the 18th-19th centuries, colonization of the islands by people was added to this disaster. The colonists brought cats, dogs and cattle with them to the islands, which disturbed the nesting birds and destroyed the chicks. In addition, albatrosses were shot from ships for entertainment and even caught with bait, like fish. Many species of albatrosses are endangered. The rarest are the Amsterdam, Chatham and white-backed albatrosses, the latter was already recognized as extinct in 1949, but, fortunately, several pairs survived. Careful protection has led to an increase in the number of this species to several hundred individuals, which, of course, cannot be called a prosperous state.

Dark-backed albatrosses (Phoebastria immutabilis) are forced to nest among plastic debris that even ends up on remote uninhabited islands.

Nowadays, albatrosses suffer from pollution of the ocean with garbage and oil products: oil stains the plumage of birds and makes it unsuitable for flight, and albatrosses often take garbage for prey and try to swallow it. The accumulation of debris in the stomach eventually leads to the death of the bird. Currently, out of 21 species of albatrosses, 19 are listed in the Red Book! To protect these beautiful birds, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, France, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador signed the Albatross and Petrel Conservation Agreement.

The freedom-loving albatross is loved by poets and romantics. Poems are dedicated to him and they believe that heaven patronizes the bird: according to legend, not a single killer of an albatross goes unpunished.

Description, appearance of the albatross

This majestic sea bird is part of the petrel order.. The International Union for Conservation of Nature divides the vast albatross family into 4 genera with 22 species, but the number is still under discussion.

Some species, for example, the royal and wandering albatrosses, exceed the wingspan (over 3.4 m) of all birds living now.

The plumage of adults is built on the contrast of the dark upper/outer part of the wings and the white chest: some species can be almost brown, others can be snow-white, like the males of the royal albatross. In young animals, the final color of the feathers appears after a few years.

The powerful beak of the albatross ends with a hooked mandible. Thanks to the long nostrils stretched along, the bird keenly senses smells (which is uncharacteristic for birds), which "lead" it to the stern.

Each paw does not have a hind toe, but has three front toes connected by webs. Strong legs allow all albatrosses to effortlessly walk on land surfaces.

In search of food, albatrosses are able to travel considerable distances when low cost forces using inclined or dynamic soaring. Their wings are designed in such a way that the bird can hang in the air for a long time, but does not master a long fly flight. The albatross makes an active flapping of its wings only during takeoff, relying further on the strength and direction of the wind.

When calm, the birds sway on the water surface until the first gust of wind helps them. On the sea waves, they not only rest on the way, but also sleep.

This is interesting! The word "albatross" comes from the Arabic al-ġaţţās ("diver"), which in the Portuguese dialect began to sound like alcatraz, then migrated to English and Russian. Under the influence of the Latin albus ("white"), alcatraz later became albatross. Alcatraz is the name of an island in California where especially dangerous criminals were kept.

Habitat in the wild

Most of the albatrosses live in the southern hemisphere, spreading from Australia to Antarctica, as well as in South America and South Africa.

Exceptions include four species belonging to the genus Phoebastria. Three of them live in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, from the Hawaiian Islands to Japan, California and Alaska. A fourth species, the Galapagos albatross, forages off the Pacific coast of South America and has been sighted in the Galapagos Islands.

The area of ​​distribution of albatrosses is directly related to their inability to actively fly, which makes crossing the equatorial calm sector almost impossible. And only the Galapagos albatross learned to subdue the air currents formed under the influence of the cold Humboldt ocean current.

Ornithologists, using satellites to monitor the movements of albatrosses over the ocean, found out that birds do not participate in seasonal migrations. Albatrosses disperse to different natural areas after the breeding season is completed..

Each species chooses its own territory and route: for example, southern albatrosses usually go on circumpolar trips around the world.

Production, diet

Albatross species (and even intraspecific populations) differ not only in range, but also in gastronomic preferences, although their food supply is approximately the same. Only the proportion of one or another food source differs, which can be:

• a fish;
• cephalopods;
• crustaceans;
• zooplankton;
• carrion.

Some prefer to feast on squid, others catch krill or fish. For example, of the two "Hawaiian" species, one, the dark-backed albatross, focuses on squid, and the second, the black-footed albatross, focuses on fish.

Ornithologists have found that certain types albatrosses willingly eat carrion. Thus, the wandering albatross specializes in squids that die during spawning, are discarded as fishing waste, and are also rejected by other animals.

The value of carrion in the menu of other species (such as grey-headed or black-browed albatrosses) is not so great: smaller squids become their prey, usually quickly sinking to the bottom when they die.

This is interesting! Not so long ago, the hypothesis that albatrosses picked up food on the surface of the sea was dispelled. They were equipped with echo sounders that measured the depth to which the birds sank. Biologists have found that several species (including the wandering albatross) dive about 1 m, while others (including the sooty albatross) can descend to 5 m, if necessary, increasing the depth to 12.5 meters.

It is known that albatrosses get food during the day, diving for the victim not only from the water, but also from the air.

Lifestyle, albatross enemies

The paradox is that all albatrosses, having practically no natural enemies, turned out to be on the verge of extinction in our century and are taken under the protection of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The main reasons that brought the birds to this fatal line were:

• their mass destruction for the sake of feathers for ladies' hats;
• introduced animals, whose prey are eggs, chicks and adult birds;
• environmental pollution;
• death of albatrosses during longline fishing;
• depletion of ocean fish stocks.

The tradition of hunting albatrosses originated among the ancient Polynesians and Indians: thanks to them, entire populations disappeared, as was the case on about. Easter. Later, European sailors also made their contribution, catching birds to decorate the table or for sporting interest.

Murders peaked during the period of active settlement in Australia, ending with the advent of firearms laws. In the century before last, the white-backed albatross almost completely disappeared, which was mercilessly shot by feather hunters.

Important! In our time, albatrosses continue to die for other reasons, including swallowing fishing tackle hooks. Ornithologists have calculated that this is at least 100 thousand birds per year.

The next threat comes from introduced animals (mice, rats and feral cats) that destroy nests and attack adults. Albatrosses have no defense skills as they nest away from wild predators. Large cattle brought to about. Amsterdam, became an indirect cause of the decline of albatrosses, as it ate the grass where the birds hid their nests.

Another risk factor is plastic debris that settles in the stomachs undigested or blocks the gastrointestinal tract so that the bird does not feel hungry. If the plastic gets to the chick, it ceases to grow normally, as it does not require food from the parents, experiencing a false sense of satiety.

Now many environmental structures are working on measures to reduce the amount of plastic garbage that enters the ocean.

Lifespan

Albatrosses can be attributed to centenarians among birds. Ornithologists estimate their average lifespan at about half a century. Scientists are based on observations of one specimen from the species Diomedea sanfordi (royal albatross). He was ringed when he was already in adulthood, and followed him for another 51 years.

This is interesting! Biologists have suggested that the ringed albatross lived in natural environment at least 61 years old.

Albatross breeding

All species demonstrate philopatricity (loyalty to the place of birth), returning from wintering not just to their native places, but almost to their parental nests. For breeding, islands with rocky capes are chosen, where there are no predatory animals, but there is free access to the sea.

In albatrosses, late fertility (at 5 years) is observed, and they begin to mate even later: some species do not earlier than 10 years. Albatross takes the choice of a life partner with all seriousness, which he changes only if the couple does not have offspring.

For several years (!) the male looks after his bride, visiting the colony from year to year and caring for several females. Every year he narrows the circle of potential partners, until he stops at the only one.

There is only one egg in the albatross clutch: if it is accidentally destroyed, the female lays a second one. Nests are built from nearby plants or earth/peat.

This is interesting! Phoebastria irrorata (Galapagos albatross) does not bother building a nest, preferring to roll the laid egg around the colony. Often, he drives him away to a distance of 50 meters and cannot always ensure safety.

Parents sit on the masonry in turn, not rising from the nest from 1 to 21 days. After the birth of the chicks, the parents keep them warm for another three weeks, feeding them with fish, squid, krill and light oil, which is produced in the bird's stomach.

Small albatrosses make their first flight after 140-170 days, and representatives of the genus Diomedea even later - after 280 days. Having risen on the wing, the chick no longer counts on parental support and can leave its nest.

Albatross - Order Tube-nosed, Albatross family

Albatross Salvini (Thalassarche salvini). Habitat - Atlantic Ocean. Wingspan 2.6 m. Weight 4 kg

Under this name, 13 species of birds are known, which are considered one of the largest flying birds.

So, for example, the record in the wingspan, recorded in the Guinness Book of Records, belongs to a wandering albatross: on September 18, 1965, a male with a wingspan of 3.63 meters was caught in the Tasman Sea. Albatrosses are inhabitants of the open sea, appearing on land only during the breeding season.

Birds have a very ancient origin - their fossilized remains, discovered by paleontologists, date back 30-35 million years. Europeans learned about these wanderers of the seas only in the 15th century, when sailors first rounded Cape Horn. The name "albatross" is the Portuguese word "alcatraz" distorted by English sailors, which the Portuguese used to designate all large sea birds. Albatrosses feed on fish, squid, which are caught in the surface layers of water.

white-backed albatross(Phoebastria albatrus)
The white-backed albatross is the largest sea bird in Russia, its wingspan reaches 2.3 m. The back of the 6-backed albatross does not seem completely white. Perception is hindered by black-brown edges and ends of the wings, as well as the black end of the tail. The head and neck of this albatross are also not white, but with a golden-red tint. The beak is interestingly colored - it is pinkish with a bluish tip. In the old days, white-backed albatrosses built their nests on small volcanic islands with steep banks. Nowadays, there is practically only one such island - Torishima. At the end of the 20th century, several hundred birds nested on it. Today even less. The life of the species is under threat. The main dangers are rats and feral cats. They kill white-backed albatross chicks. In Russia, white-backed albatrosses can be seen in the coastal waters of Primorye, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, the Commander and Kuril Islands. A pair of birds lays a large egg every two years; both parents incubate him for two months.

dark-backed albatross }