Animal Facts - Albatross

In this page we will look at the amazing Albatross.

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Can albatrosses sleep while flying?

Contrary to popular belief, albatrosses do not sleep while flying. They sleep on the ocean surface.

Albatrosses are large seabirds found in the southern oceans and the North Pacific. They are among the largest flying birds, and the Great Albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird species, with a wingspan of 340 cm (11 ft).

Albatrosses are efficient long-distance flyers. Rather than flapping their wings to provide lift as most birds do, they glide on air currents. For every meter they drop while gliding, they can travel forward 22 meters. When their wings are fully extended, they are locked into place by a tendon so that the albatross does not have to expend energy keeping its wings outstretched.

A Black-Browed Albatross.

An albatross flapping its wings to take off.

An albatross’s bill is large and strong, ending in a hook shape. Along the sides of the bill are two “tubes”. These tubes are actually long nostrils that give albatrosses a keen sense of smell, which is unusual among birds. They have webbed feet and relatively strong legs. This enables them to walk quite well on land.

Below is a video of young albatrosses learning to fly with a little motivation from a tiger shark.

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