Light-mantled sooty albatross
Light-mantled sooty albatross
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Light-mantled sooty albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) have a dark grey head and a light grey body with a distinctive white crescent surrounding most of the eye.
Nests of light-mantled sooty albatross are made from mud with some plant material, and is usually lined with grasses. It is a low mound, 15-30 cm high and 45-55 cm at base.
Light-mantled sooty albatross are solitary nesters, although occasionally they will nest in small colonies of up to 15 nests. Little is known of their behaviour during the non-breeding period, which is spent entirely at sea.
The breeding cycle of light-mantled sooty albatross is the same as that of wandering albatross, i.e. once every two years. However, the fledging period of light-mantled sooty albatross is only five months, while the fledging period of wandering albatross is almost one year.
The diet of light-mantled sooty albatross is primarily composed of cephalopods and euphausiids, but they also take fish and carrion.
Light-mantled sooty albatross are one of the smaller albatross in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic, with a wingspan of approximately 2.2 metres.
Light-mantled sooty albatross are the most abundant breeding albatross on Macquarie Island, where approximately 1000 pairs nest every year.
In the 19th century, light-mantled sooty albatross were named 'Blue Bird' by sealers because it looked blue in strong Antarctic light.
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