Wandering albatross

The bird with the widest wings in the world

An albatross's wings span 3.5 metres — like two adults lying end to end! It glides for hours without flapping, riding the wind. In a year it circles the Earth several times. Albatrosses even sleep over the ocean. A pair stays together for 50 years and 'dances' when they meet.

The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) has the largest wingspan of any bird (up to 3.5 m) and lives around the Southern Ocean. Using 'dynamic soaring' — harvesting energy from the wind gradient over waves — it flies 900 km a day almost without flapping; a 'lock' in the shoulder joint means no muscle effort. GPS tracking shows 120,000 km a year — a truly global bird. It eats squid and fish and desalinates seawater through nasal tubes. It first breeds at 11, lays 1 egg every 2 years, and the chick spends 9 months in the nest. It lives over 60 years. Deaths on longline fishing hooks make it IUCN Vulnerable; bird-scaring lines and night setting have cut deaths by 90%.

Fun facts

• An albatross flies 900 km a day without flapping — its shoulder has a 'lock'.
• 120,000 km a year — three times around the Earth.
• An albatross chick stays in the nest for 9 months.