Habitat
The open ocean is home for the albatross both day and night. They go to the shore
only to mate and raise their young. Albatross live across the North Pacific, which is
around the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, and the Gulf of Alaska. They breed on barren
islands.Predator and Prey
The albatross eats cute fish, squid, and other marine life and drinks seawater.
It also feeds on scraps of food from a ship. The worst enemies that the albatross has ever
had are humans because they used to pluck their feathers to sell.
What Can We Do?
People and scientist are doing what they can to protect endangered birds. They
are passing laws, and doing habitat research. Albatross numbers are increasing.
Animal Facts
The albatross sail at their amazing speed for hours without a wingbeat. They swoop down to
snatch a fish from the ocean, and then they soar high into the air again riding on the
wind. The albatross is the largest of the seabirds. It glides on wings that spread out to
almost 4 meters. During the late 1800's and early 1900's feather hunters killed an
estimate of 5 million short-tailed albatross. Yet, due to protection on their nesting
grounds, short-tailed albatross numbers have increased from fewer than 50 birds in the
late 1940's to over 600 birds in 1993.
