Laysan Albatross
Phoebastria immutabilis
Identification Tips:
Length: 28 inches Wingspan: 85 inches
Sexes similar
White head, body, undertail coverts, and rump
Upperwings and back dark
Black and white patterning on underwings
Bill and feet pinkish
The Laysan Albatross may appear clumsy when on land, but in the air they are paragons of grace, effortlessly gliding over the surface of the ocean in search of food.
They arrive in November when mating seasons begins. Nesting ends in late spring and chicks have departed by the following September.
The birds mate for life and when fully grown have wingspans of more than 2 m (80 in).
The most abundant albatross of the North Pacific. Breeds during the northern winter (October to May). The bulk of the population breeds on the northern Hawaiian Islands (Kure east to Kauai and Oahu) with smaller numbers in the Japanese Ogsawara Islands (Torishima) and a few on islands off Baja California, Mexico (Guadalupe Island, Alijos Rocks and in the Revillagigedo Islands). Worldwide there are around 600,000 breeding pairs with evidence of expansion.
Non-breeding birds range widely in the north Pacific dispersing into transitional (30-45 degress North) and sub-arctic waters (the Bering Sea). Densities highest over continental slope shelfs and ocean basins.
More abundant than the Black-footed Albatross in the western Pacific, while the opposite holds true in the eastern Pacific. This may relate to differences in feeding strategies, where the Laysan mainly feeds on small fish and the Black-footed specializing on squid.
Albatrosses spend the first 1-3 yrs of life at sea until they are ready to breed.
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