Phoebastria nigripes
The Black-footed Albatross, Phoebastria nigripes, is a striking pelagic seabird primarily known for its predominantly sooty-brown to black plumage, contrasting sharply with a white patch at the base of its bill and variable white on its underwing coverts. Its distinctive pinkish-gray bill with a dark tip, coupled with dark legs and feet, aids in identification. Averaging 68-79 cm (27-31 in) in length with an impressive wingspan of 190-220 cm (75-87 in) and weighing 2.8-3.6 kg (6.2-7.9 lbs), i...
This highly pelagic species inhabits the open waters of the North Pacific Ocean, favoring areas with continental shelf breaks and upwellings. It breeds exclusively on remote, predator-free oceanic islands and atolls.
Their diet primarily consists of cephalopods (squid), fish, fish eggs, and crustaceans, supplemented by offal scavenged from fishing vessels. They primarily feed by surface-seizing and shallow-diving.
Black-footed Albatrosses are primarily diurnal, though they may forage at night when prey is available. Their foraging strategies include surface-seizing, shallow plunge-diving, and scavenging, often following fishing vessels to opportunistically feed on discards. They are colonial nesters, defen...
The Black-footed Albatross has a wide pelagic distribution across the North Pacific Ocean. Its primary breeding grounds are concentrated on remote islands and atolls within the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, notably Midway, Laysan, and Tern Islands, with smaller colonies found on the Bonin and Vo...
Vulnerable
- Black-footed Albatrosses are masters of dynamic soaring, using wind currents over the ocean to fly for vast distances with minimal energy expenditure. - They can live for over 50 years in the wild, with some individuals banded as adults observed returning to breed for decades. - Pairs typically...