Laysan Albatross

Phoebastria immutabilisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Albatross (Diomedeidae)

Codes: Common Name: LAAL Scientific Name: PHOIMM ITIS Taxonomic No.: 554378

Breeding Location:

Islands, flat

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Yes but uncommon

Egg Color:

Creamy white, brown spotting and red brown cap

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

65 - 66

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Lined with leaves, twigs, and sand.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Laysan Albatross: Large seabird with dark brown back and white head, neck, and rump. Eye patch is dark. Bill is thick and yellow with gray, hooked tip. Wings are dark brown above; underneath is white with irregular brown-black borders. Tail is dark brown-black with white coverts. Legs and webbed feet are flesh-pink. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Laysan Albatross: Breeds on isolated islands in the central Pacific Ocean, mostly on Hawaiian chain islands. At other times it is found throughout the northern oceans, primarily around Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.

Breeding and Nesting

Laysan Albatross: One dull, white egg spotted with brown is laid in a shallow ground depression lined with leaves, twigs, and sand. Incubation ranges from 65 to 66 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Laysan Albatross: Diet consists mostly of squid; also eats fish, fish eggs, and crustaceans; usually forages at night when prey is near the water surface.

Vocalization

Laysan Albatross: Usually silent at sea; on breeding grounds utters a series of "Eh-eh Eh-eh-eh" sounds, whines, whinnies, moans, inhalations, and squeaks.

Similar Species

Laysan Albatross: Black-footed Albatross has uniformly dark body and head. Short-tailed Albatross has larger, heavier bill, all-white underwings, yellow wash on nape, and white back.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Laysan Albatross

Laysan Albatross: Large seabird with dark brown back and white head, neck, and rump. Eye patch is dark. Bill is thick and yellow with gray, hooked tip. Wings are dark brown above and white below with irregular brown-black borders. Tail is dark brown-black with white coverts. Legs and feet are pink.

● Song: "Eh-eh Eh-eh-eh"

● Foraging & Feeding: Laysan Albatross: Diet consists mostly of squid; also eats fish, fish eggs, and crustaceans; usually forages at night when prey is near the water surface.

● Breeding & nesting: Laysan Albatross: One dull, white egg spotted with brown is laid in a shallow ground depression lined with leaves, twigs, and sand. Incubation ranges from 65 to 66 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Laysan Albatross: Black-footed Albatross has uniformly dark body and head. Short-tailed Albatross has larger, heavier bill, all-white underwings, yellow wash on nape, and white back.

Flight Pattern

Dynamic soaring., Stays aloft for hours with little flapping of wings.

● Range & Habitat: Laysan Albatross: Breeds on isolated islands in the central Pacific Ocean, mostly on Hawaiian chain islands. At other times it is found throughout the northern oceans, primarily around Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationYes but uncommon

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight113.6 Ounces

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America