Galapagos albatross
Waved albatrosses have a distinctive yellowish-cream head and neck, which contrasts with their brownish bodies. Their bill, being very long and bright yellow is another distinctive feature, appearing disproportionately large compared to its relatively small head and its long, slender neck. Their upperparts and underparts are chestnut brown (but not the breast) with fine barring, which on the rump is a little coarser. Their upper wings, tail, and back are brown, and their breast and underwings are whitish. Their axillaries are brown and their feet are blue. The young are similar to the adults but have more white color on their heads. The chicks have fluffy brown feathers.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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MolluscivoreA molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specializes in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Known mo...
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ScavengerScavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While sc...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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SeabirdSeabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, b...
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Pelagic birdsPelagic birds live on open seas and oceans rather than inland or around more restricted waters such as rivers and lakes. They feed on planktonic cr...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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GlidingGliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust and is employed by gliding animals. Birds in particular use gliding flight to m...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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SeabirdSeabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, b...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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Gliding Animals
Waved albatrosses live in only one location - on the Galapagos Islands of Espanola – where they have formed two major colonies. They fly over coastal waters off Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador to forage. The whole population migrates during the chick-rearing and non-breeding periods. They are to be found somewhere between the waters east of the Galapagos and the coasts of Colombia to Peru. Waved albatrosses are marine birds and mainly pelagic. Breeding takes place on bare lava among boulders and bushes, in fairly open areas. They are usually never far from the ocean, near feeding areas.
Waved albatrosses often congregate in rafts, sitting on the surface of the sea. They mainly feed during the night when squid are swimming closer to the surface. Sometimes they steal food from boobies (sula) and other species. Waved albatrosses seek food 10 to 100 km from the nesting site. They are spectacular flyers, perhaps even the most famous. They can fly for hours without stalling and they do this by dynamic soaring. The wind speed near the surface of the sea is much lower than about 50 ft (15 m) in the air and Waved albatrosses use this to their advantage by gliding at speed into the wind. However, Waved albatrosses do have difficulty in landing due to their high stalling speed, and in taking off due to the challenge of beating their massive wings. To make it easier they sometimes take off from cliffs that are somewhat inland rather than beside the coast.
Waved albatrosses are carnivores (piscivores, molluscivores) and scavengers. They eat large fish, squid, krill, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, and other crustaceans. They will also scavenge for other food sources, including the regurgitated food of other birds.
Waved albatrosses are monogamous and pair bonds are long-lasting and usually for life. The birds engage in a complex courtship ritual that can include bill circling and clacking, bowing, and mutual preening. The breeding period is in April and June. One whitish egg is laid and both parents incubate for a two-month period. Thick blackish-brown down covers the chick. When two weeks old, the chick is left in the nursery while the parents go to sea and fish. They return to feed the chick pre-digested oily fish liquid. Fledging takes place when the chick is 165 to 167 days old. In January it leaves the colony and stays at sea for several years until it is able to breed. The young will reach reproductive maturity around 3 to 6 years.
Man is the greatest threat to the Waved albatross, mainly due to fishing activities but also to human consumption, and long-line fishing techniques both along the coasts and when the bird follows fishing vessels. Other threats are water pollution, chemicals, and oil slicks.
According to the Quasar Expeditions resource the total population size of the Waved albatross is around 50,000-70,000 birds, including 12,000 breeding pairs. According to the IUCN Red List on Española Island in the Galápagos archipelago, the breeding population of this species was estimated at least 34,694 adults. On Isla de la Plata ( Ecuador), there are probably fewer than 10-20 pairs. Overall, currently Waved albatrosses are classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...