Short-tailed Albatross

Phoebastria albatrusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Albatross (Diomedeidae)

Codes: Common Name: STAL Scientific Name: PHOALB ITIS Taxonomic No.: 554377

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Overview

Short-tailed Albatross: Largest and only white-bodied albatross in the North Pacific. The head and nape have a golden-yellow cast. White wings have black edges and tips. Tail is white with black fringe. Legs and feet are pink-gray. AKA Steller's Albatross. Almost became extinct in late 19th century.

Range and Habitat

Short-tailed Albatross: Endangered species. Once frequent in the northwestern Pacific. Currently, an estimated 200 nest on Torishima, an island south of Japan. Travels to Bering Sea and Alaska south along the Pacific coast south to California after breeding.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Voice Text

Generally silent

Interesting Facts

The Short-tailed Albatross or Steller's Albatross was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas from skins collected by Georg Wilhelm Steller.

Fossils of albatrosses from the mid-Pleistocene in Bermuda and North Carolina are considered to be closest to the Short-tailed Albatross.

Contrary to its name its tail is no shorter than that of the Laysan or Black-footed, and is actually longer than that of the other member of the genus Phoebastria, the Waved Albatross.

A group of albatrosses are known collectively as a "flight", "rookery", and "weight" of albatrosses.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

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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.

Short-tailed Albatross

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Short-tailed Albatross: Feeds on fish, shrimp, squid, and crustaceans picked up from the water surface; not known to follow boats like some other albatross species.

● Breeding & nesting: Short-tailed Albatross: One white egg with red spots is laid on the ground in a nest made of grass, twigs, and volcanic debris. Both parents incubate the egg for about 65 days.

● Similar species: Short-tailed Albatross: None in range.

Flight Pattern

Dynamic soaring., Glides for hours.

Short-tailed Albatross Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Short-tailed Albatross: Endangered species. Once frequent in the northwestern Pacific. Currently, an estimated 200 nest on Torishima, an island south of Japan. Travels to Bering Sea and Alaska south along the Pacific coast south to California after breeding.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial, Mates for life

^PopulationIncreasing, Rare

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight120 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Nape

Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.

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