Southern Royal Albatross

The Southern Royal Albatross is the largest flying bird in the world. These magnificent birds almost went extinct in the 1800s because of human threat. They started to recover again in the 1900s. The Southern Royal Albatross has a wing span of over 3.5 meters. These birds can be found in the southern waters and islands of the South Pacific and Antarctic areas. When breeding, majority of them make colonies on Campbell Islands. There are around 8,500 pairs on the island every year! These birds begin to mate at around 3-4 years old. After mating for about 3-8 years, they begin to breed. By this time they are between 6 and 12 years of age. After breeding, they live up to their 40s and then pass away. When they are not breeding, these great birds are solitary at sea. Once they leave their nest, they live on and above the water for 5 years, never touching land during this period. At sea they live on a diet of crustaceans, fish, cephalopods, and scalps.

The beautiful Southern Royal Albatross has a white body, a creamy pink beak, and a small portion of black on its wings. Its body, wings, and beak playing a pivotal role in flying, hunting, and surviving. Elder birds have black spots flecking on their back, crown, and tail. Just after birds meet, they have a high pitched call while clucking or yapping. There are 21 different types of this great, white bird, although, 19 of them are on the verge of extinction. Let us all hope that this magnificent king of the air does not come to its demise.

Works Cited

"Eye Structure and Amphibious Foraging in Albatrosses." Royal Society. N.p., 22 Apr. 1998. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://m.rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org//content/265/1397/665>

"Southern Royal Albatross." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_royal_albatross>

"Southern Royal Albatross | New Zealand Birds Online." Southern Royal Albatross | New Zealand Birds Online. New Zealand Birds Online, 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2015. <http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/southern-royal-albatross>

Images

Royal Albatross Hunting for Prey. Digital image. Albatrossencounter. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://www.albatrossencounter.co.nz/content/images/1607/640x480normal/Albatross_Royal_Sthern.jpg>

Southern Royal Albatross. Digital image. Rspb. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. <http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/southenroyal_tcm9-198821.jpg?width=768&crop=(0,54,796,502)>