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To the Beauty of Birds

The Wandering Albatross, Snowy Albatross or White-winged Albatross, Diomedea exulans, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae, which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It was the first species of albatross to be described. There may be a faint peach colored spot on the side of the face (see 8789).

The Wandering Albatross is the largest member of the genus Diomedea (the great albatrosses), one of the largest birds in the world, and one of the best known and studied species of bird in the world.

Wandering Albatrosses spend most of their life in flight, landing only to breed and feed. Distances travelled each year are hard to measure, but one banded bird was recorded travelling 6,000 km in twelve days.

The Wandering Albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, typically ranging from 8 ft 3 in to 11 ft 6 in, with a mean span of 10 ft 2 in. As a result of its wingspan, it is capable of remaining in the air without flapping its wings for several hours at a time, travelling 22 m for every meter of drop.

The non-8000 series photos were taken at Prion Island, South Georgia, a nesting site of the Wandering Albatross. All other photos were taken in New Zealand.

Wanderng Albatross