Waved Albatross
A species of North Pacific Albatrosses Scientific name : Phoebastria irrorata Genus : North Pacific Albatrosses
Waved Albatross, A species of North Pacific Albatrosses
Botanical name: Phoebastria irrorata
Genus: North Pacific Albatrosses
Content
Description General Info
Description
These are medium-sized albatrosses, measuring 80 to 90 cm (31 to 35 in) in length with a wingspan of 220–250 cm (7.2–8.2 ft). They range between 2.7 and 4.0 kg (6.0 and 8.8 lb) in mass, with males averaging significantly heavier than females. They are distinctive for their yellowish-cream neck and head, which contrasts with their mostly brownish bodies. Even more distinctive is the very long, bright yellow bill, which looks disproportionately large in comparison to the relatively small head and long, slender neck. They also have chestnut brown upper parts and underparts, except for the breast, with fine barring, a little coarser on the rump. They have brown upper-wings, back, and tail, along with a whitish breast and underwings. Their axillaries are brown. Finally they have bluish feet. Juveniles are similar to adults except for more white on their head. Chicks have brown fluffy feathers. The lifespan of this species may reach 40 to 45 years. 
Size
93 cm
Life Expectancy
30-45 years
Feeding Habits
Waved Albatross primarily consume dead prey, large fish, squid, and crustaceans. They exhibit foraging techniques adapted for efficient scavenging, exploiting their keen sense of smell to locate food. These birds have a preference for surface feeding, often during twilight hours, capitalizing on diminished competition.
Habitat
The waved Albatross inhabits marine and primarily pelagic environments, frequently found in areas influenced by the Humboldt Current. As the only albatross species restricted to tropical regions, waved Albatross is known to approach coastal zones. Their nesting grounds are characterized by bare lava fields interspersed with boulders, where they prefer relatively open spaces that are often surrounded by shrubbery including Acacia and Prosopis species.
Dite type
Piscivorous
General Info
Species Status
The population of waved albatrosses on the Galápagos is protected by national park personnel, and the island is also categorized as a World Heritage Site. But limited range, bycatch by longline fishing, disturbance via tourism, disease, and the effects of illegal fishing in the nearby waters place them in considerable jeopardy. Longline fishing in particular seems to be having a severe impact on the species, the conservation status of which was upgraded from near threatened to vulnerable by the IUCN in 2000. Despite there still being some 34,700 adult birds in 2001, their numbers have apparently started to decrease at an unknown rate more recently, probably due to longline fishing which also upsets the sex ratio (males being killed more frequently). As the current situation makes the population highly vulnerable to a catastrophic collapse to extinction, it was uplisted to critically endangered status in the 2007 IUCN Red List. The population of 34,700 adult birds was based on a 2001 estimate; however in 1970 and 1971 there were an estimated 24,000, and 1994 saw between 31,200 and 36,400. This species has an occurrence range of 1,750,000 km (680,000 sq mi), and a breeding range of 9 km (3.5 sq mi).
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Albatrosses and Petrels Family
Albatrosses Species
Waved Albatross 
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