The
Black-footed Albatross,
Phoebastria nigripes, is a large
seabirdSeabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
from the North Pacific. It is one of three
albatrossAlbatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
es that range in the
northern hemisphereThe Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator—the word hemisphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
, nesting on isolated tropical islands.
Taxonomy
Black-footed Albatrosses are a type of Albatross that belong to Diomedeidae family and come from the
ProcellariiformesProcellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, procellariids, storm-petrels and diving petrels. Formerly called Tubinares and still called tubenoses in English, they are often referred to collectively as the petrels, a term that has been applied to all...
order, along with
ShearwaterShearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 30 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus Calonectris and many smaller species in the genus Puffinus...
s,
FulmarFulmars are seabirds of the family Procellariidae. The family consists of two extant species that are living and two that are extinct.-Taxonomy:...
s,
Storm-petrelStorm-petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm-petrels have a cosmopolitan...
s, and Diving-petrels. They share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. Although the nostrils on the Albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between 7 and 9 horny plates. Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of
wax esterAn ester, found in some fish such as orange roughy, oilfish, escolar, black oreo, smooth oreo and other fish, primarily deep water. Wax esters are also found in some plants, notably jojoba....
s and triglycerides that is stored in the
proventriculusThe proventriculus is part of the digestive system of birds, invertebrates and insects.-Birds:The proventriculus is a standard part of avian anatomy...
. This is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. They also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nose.
Etymology
The meaning of
nigripes is derived from two
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
words,
niger means
black, and
pes means
foot.
Description
The
Black-footed Albatross is a small member of the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
(while still large compared to most other seabirds) that has almost all black
plumagePlumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
. Some adults show white undertail coverts, and all adults have white markings around the base of the
beakThe beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
and below the
eyeEyes are organs that detect light, and send electrical impulses along the optic nerve to the visual and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system...
. As the birds age they acquire more white at the base of the beak. Its beak and feet are also all dark. They have only the one plumage. They average at about in length, weigh about and have a wingspan of . Males are larger than females.
Range
The Black-footed Albatross, along with the
Laysan AlbatrossThe Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis, is a large seabird that ranges across the North Pacific. This small two-tone gull-like albatross is the second most common seabird in the Hawaiian Islands, with an estimated population of 2.5 million birds, and is currently expanding its range to new...
and the rare
Short-tailed AlbatrossThe Short-tailed Albatross or Steller's Albatross, Phoebastria albatrus, is a large rare seabird from the North Pacific. Although related to the other North Pacific albatrosses, it also exhibits behavioural and morphological links to the albatrosses of the Southern Ocean...
, are the three
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of albatross that range in the northern hemisphere, as opposed to the rest of the family which range from the
EquatorThe equator is the intersection of the Earth's surface with the plane perpendicular to the Earth's axis of rotation and containing the Earth's center of mass. In simpler language, it is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole that divides the Earth...
south. There are at least 12 known breeding locations. They nest colonially on isolated islands of the
Northwestern Hawaiian IslandsThe Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
, from
Kure AtollKure Atoll or Ocean Island lies some beyond Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands at . The International Date Line lies approximately 100 miles to the west. Kure is the northern-most coral atoll in the world...
to Kaula Island, (such as
LaysanLaysan , located northwest of Honolulu at N25° 42' 14" W171° 44' 04", is one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It comprises one land mass of , about 1 by 1.5 miles in size...
,
MidwayMidway Atoll is a 2.4 mi² atoll located in the North Pacific Ocean , about one-third of the way between Honolulu and Tokyo. Midway Atoll is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States...
, and the
French Frigate ShoalsThe French Frigate Shoals is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the shoals...
), the
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese islands of
Tori Shima, literally meaning "Bird Island", is an uninhabited volcanic island at the south end of the Izu Islands in the Pacific Ocean, adminstered by Japan.-Geography:...
, Bonin, and
SenkakuThe , also known as Diaoyutai Islands , or the Pinnacle Islands, are a group of disputed, uninhabited islands currently controlled by Japan, but also claimed by both the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China as part of Taiwan Province, Toucheng Township in Yilan County...
, and off the
MexicanThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
coast, primarily on
Isla GuadalupeGuadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers southwest of the city of Ensenada in Baja California state, in the Pacific Ocean...
. They are extirpated from the
Iwo JimaIwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which makes up the southern end of the Ogasawara Islands. The island is located 1,200 kilometers south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
,
AgrihanAgrihan is a stratovolcano which forms an island in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The entire island is a massive volcano which rises over from the ocean floor, and is the fifth largest in the Marianas volcanic arc. At , its summit is the highest point in Micronesia...
, Taongi Atoll, Marcus Island,
Wake IslandWake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of 12 miles in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu to Guam...
, and Johnston Island. Their range at
seaA sea is any large amount of water filled with animals such as crabs, whales, sharks, and fish, but there is inconsistency as to its precise definition and application. Most commonly, a sea may refer to a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, but it is also used sometimes for a...
varies during the seasons (straying farther from the breeding islands when the chicks are older or they don't have chicks) but they make use of great areas of the North Pacific, feeding from
AlaskaAlaska is the largest state of the United States of America by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
and Japan; however they do prefer the northeastern Pacific Ocean. They overlap greatly in breeding and feeding range with the other two species of northern albatross, although the other two will range further north into the
Bering SeaThe Bering Sea is a body of water in the Pacific Ocean that comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
than the Black-footed will. They have, on occasion, been sighted in the southern hemisphere.
Behavior
Their vocalization will range from shrieks and squeals whilst fighting over food to bill-clapping, whistles, groans, and quacks while courting.
Breeding
The Black-footed Albatross, like the rest of its family, forms long term pair-bonds that last for life. After
fledgingFledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of raising chicks to a fully grown state by the chick's parents...
the birds return to the colony after three years, and spend two years building
nestsA bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term is popular in reference to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
, dancing and being with prospective mates, a behaviour that probably evolved to ensure maximum trust between the birds (raising an albatross chick is a massive energetic investment, and a long courting period establishes for both birds that the other is committed). They will start reproducing after about seven years.
Nests are simple depressions scraped in the
sandSand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.As the term is used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters. An individual particle in this range size is termed a sand grain...
, into which one dull white with reddish brown spots
eggIn most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo. When the embryo is adequately developed it breaks out of the egg in the...
is laid. The egg is incubated for just over two months (65 days). Both birds incubate the egg, the male incubating more as the female leaves soon after hatching to recoup reserves used for egg-laying. The average time spent on incubating shifts is 18 days. However, mates can wait up to 38 days to be relieved, and if something happens to the mate the other has been recorded incubating for 49 days without food or water.
The chick is brooded for 20 days by its parents, after which both parents leave the nest and return to feed the chick. The chick is fed regurgitated food by sticking its bill inside that of its parent.
FledgingFledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of raising chicks to a fully grown state by the chick's parents...
occurs after 140 days.
Feeding
The Black-footed Albatross feeds in pelagic waters, taking
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
, mostly the eggs of flying fish,
squidSquid are marine cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms and two longer tentacles arranged in pairs...
and to a lesser extent
crustaceanCrustaceans are a very large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles...
s. It will also consume floating
debrisDebris is a word used to describe the remains of something that has been otherwise destroyed. The singular form of debris is debris.Depending on context, debris can refer to a number of different things.- Geological :...
, including plastics. It has been described as a 'floating pig' by one author for its habit of taking kitchen scraps from ships.
Conservation
Breeding Population and Trends
| Breeding Location |
Breeding Pair |
Trend |
Midway AtollMidway Atoll is a 2.4 mi² atoll located in the North Pacific Ocean , about one-third of the way between Honolulu and Tokyo. Midway Atoll is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States...
|
24,000 pair |
-9.6% from 1992 to 2001 |
| Laysan Island |
21,000 |
-9.6% from 1992 to 2001 |
| French Frigate Shoals The French Frigate Shoals is the largest atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Its name commemorates French explorer Jean-François de La Pérouse, who nearly lost two frigates when attempting to navigate the shoals...
|
|
| Torishima |
1,218 |
Unknown |
| Bonin Islands |
23 |
Unknown |
Islas GuadalupeGuadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers southwest of the city of Ensenada in Baja California state, in the Pacific Ocean...
|
337 |
Unknown |
Other offshore MexicanThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
islands |
63 |
unknown |
| Total |
64,500 |
-60% over 56 years |
The Black-footed Albatross is considered
endangeredAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. Also it could mean that due to deforestation there may be a lack of food and/or water...
by the IUCN, because it is taken incidentally by longline fishing. An estimated 4,000 are taken every year, based on the number taken in 1990; other estimates put the number at 8,000, although more recent numbers are at around 6,150 per year with the majority of deaths from Taiwanese and Japanese fishing fleets. It is also vulnerable to oil and ingestion of floating plastics, which reduces the space in the
stomachIn most mammals, the stomach is a hollow, muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract , between the esophagus and the small intestine. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication . The word stomach is derived from the Latin stomachus, which derives from the Greek word...
available for food to be brought to the chick. Finally volcanic eruptions on Torishima continues to be a threat.
The Black-footed Albatross has an occurrence range of and a breeding range of , with a population of 129,000 adult birds. Of these birds 24,000 pair breed on
Midway AtollMidway Atoll is a 2.4 mi² atoll located in the North Pacific Ocean , about one-third of the way between Honolulu and Tokyo. Midway Atoll is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States...
and 21,000 pair breed on Laysan Island. Torishima has 1,218 pair, the Bonin Islands have 23 pair and there are about 400 pair on offshore Mexican islands with 337 on
Islas GuadalupeGuadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers southwest of the city of Ensenada in Baja California state, in the Pacific Ocean...
. All of these numbers come from estimates from 2005 to 2007.
All of its nesting sites in the U.S. are protected, along with a buffer zone around these islands. Within this buffer zone longline fishing is outlawed. Almost 80% of the breeding population is counted or sampled each year and most fisheries utilize seabird bycatch prevention measures.
External links