Sooty Albatross

The sooty albatross, Phoebetria fusca, is a medium-sized seabird with a majestic wingspan of approximately 2 meters. It is cloaked in a sooty-brown to sooty-black plumage, with the head and sometimes the tail presenting a darker shade. A distinctive white ring encircles almost the entire eye, save for the inner corner, and a striking yellow to orange line adorns the lower jaw of its otherwise glossy black beak.

Identification Tips

Adult sooty albatrosses can be identified by their size, with a body length of about 85 cm, and their uniform dark plumage. The white ring around the eye and the yellow-orange line on the lower jaw are key features for identification. Juveniles resemble adults after shedding their down feathers.

Habitat

These birds are pelagic, spending much of their life soaring over the deep oceans. They are known to nest on remote islands, favoring cliffs or steep slopes for their nesting sites.

Distribution

The sooty albatross is found across the southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well as the Southern Ocean. They breed on islands such as Gough Island, Tristan da Cunha, Prince Edward Island, Marion Island, the Crozet Islands, Amsterdam Island, and the Kerguelen Islands.

Behaviour

Sooty albatrosses are known to mate for life, returning to the same breeding spots each season. They breed biennially, with a lengthy breeding cycle that precludes them from laying replacement eggs in the event of a failed attempt.

Breeding

These albatrosses lay a single egg between mid-September and the end of October, which is then incubated for approximately 70 days. Chicks are brooded for about three months, with parents alternating between incubating and foraging, before they fledge at the end of May.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the sooty albatross primarily consists of cephalopods, fish, crustaceans, and carrion. They feed by surface seizing, picking off prey from the ocean's surface without diving.

Conservation status

The sooty albatross is classified as Endangered, with a declining population estimated between 22,724 and 27,968 mature individuals. The species faces threats from both natural predators and human activities, such as long-line fishing and pollution.