Black-footed Albatross

Phoebastria nigripes

Dark wanderer of the Pacific. Rides typhoon winds like a seasoned surfer.

Population: ~129,000 mature individuals (~64,500 breeding pairs), declined roughly 60% over 56 years (three generations)
Habitat: Breeds colonially on low, exposed sandy/tropical oceanic islands; otherwise entirely pelagic, foraging over open North Pacific ocean waters
Fun fact: Black-footed Albatrosses form lifelong pair bonds and can locate squid and fish eggs across vast stretches of open ocean using an unusually keen sense of smell.
Range: North Pacific Ocean; ~97.5% of the population breeds in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (with smaller colonies off Japan and Mexico), foraging at sea from Alaska to California and Japan — one of only three albatross species regularly found in the Northern Hemisphere
Diet: Squid, flying-fish eggs, fish, fish offal, and to a lesser extent crustaceans, located largely via smell; also scavenges floating debris including plastic
Size: 0.71 m
Wingspan: 2.03 m
Lifespan: 60 years

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