Phoebastria immutabilis
Length: 31-32 in Wingspan: 6-7 feet Weight: 5-9 lbs
Identification:
Light underside of body and wings. Dark tail, back, and upperside of wings. White head and light bill.
Distribution:
Nest on islands in the Pacific Ocean, primarily Midway and Laysan. Throughout the year, found wandering large portions of the Pacific Ocean.
Cool Facts:
Laysan Albatrosses do not start breeding until they are 8 or 9 years old, then they lay only 1 egg at a time. The oldest known banded bird in the wild is a Laysan Albatross named Wisdom, who turned at least 66 this year.
Albatrosses were seen as good luck omens by sailors. In the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a crewmember brings misfortune to his ship by foolishly shooting an albatross, and as penance he is forced to wear the bird around his neck.
Make your own bird cookies!
References:
Bird on the Move 