Is called albatross yet Sea bird which is mostly found in the Pacific Ocean and in the Indian Ocean . East animal , whose feathers are white, is characterized by its large wingspan.
The albatrosses constitute the family known as Diomedeidae and they are divided into four genera and more than twenty species. In general, all of them coincide in their good flight capacity and in that they feed on fish, krill and other aquatic species.
It is worth mentioning that the total number of species that make up the family has not yet been resolved. Diomedeidae, and this gives rise to three different lists: the ones that most albatross species recognize are Birdlife International and the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature ), whose number is twenty-two; on the other hand, there are authorities that only accept fourteen of them, while for the American ornithologist James Clements, who died in 2005, the limit is thirteen.
If we take into account the taxonomy accepted by IUCN, we face four genders, whose names are Diomedea, Phoebastria, Thalassarche and Phoebetria; the latter is formed by only two species, while Thalassarche It contains ten. Since this information depends on the point of view, that is, on each student's assessment of the subject, it is common to find certain differences when moving from one source to another; for example, some species of the genera Phoebastria and Thalassarche may appear under Diomedea.
Let's look at the main characteristics of a species of each gender :
* Diomedea exulans : its common name in Spanish is wandering albatross or traveler, and it is the first albatross to have been described, in addition to the most widespread species. Its height can reach 1.3 m, and its wings can have a wingspan of up to 3.5 m (although an individual that reached 3.7 m has been registered). Its beak, on the other hand, is around 20 cm long, the largest of all albatrosses;
* Phoebastria irrorata : also know as wavy albatross, is the only one species That lives in the tropics. It is known that it only breeds in one of the Galapagos Islands, Hispaniola, and that it produces its nests in lava areas;
* Thalassarche melanophrys : he black eyebrow albatross before belonged to the genre Diomedea. Their wings are approximately one third shorter than those of the previous two, although this does not prevent them from being skilful gliders. In fact, they are able to fly for long periods;
* Phoebetria fusca : it's called smoked albatross and its habitat is all the oceans of the southern hemisphere. In comparison with the three species mentioned above, their wings are the shortest, since they do not exceed 2 m. He colour Smoked chestnut of its feathers has given rise to its name.
These birds form colonies , creating their nests in remote islands. His behavior is monogamous : establish couples that maintain throughout life. Another characteristic of the albatross is that they usually reproduce in the same colony where they were born.
Albatross colonies usually become tourist attractions since many people They enjoy watching these animals. Among sailors, it is often said that albatrosses bring good luck or that these souls inhabit the souls of those who died on the high seas. However, in ancient times it was common for sailors to catch albatrosses to eat them.
According to International Union for the Conservation of Nature , there are nine species of albatross in danger of extinction and another eight in state of vulnerability. This means that more than half of the albatross species are at risk of disappearing.
Albatross Finally, it is also the name of a former aircraft manufacturer (Flugzeugwerke Albatross ), of a Venezuelan airline (Albatros Airlines ) and of a draft aerospace which, in the decade of 1970 , existed in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics .
