Species: Phoebastria nigripes
Black-footed Albatross
Species
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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Procellariiformes
Family
Diomedeidae
Genus
Phoebastria
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Albatros Pata Negra - Albatros à pieds noirs
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Procellariiformes - Diomedeidae - Phoebastria - are reported from the Hawaiian Islands (Midway) (AOU 1983).
Ecology and Life History
Migration
false - false - true - Seen year-round off the western U.S. coast. Northern-most populations move south during the winter. May migrate 1000s of km between breeding and nonbreeding areas. Usually leaves breeding areas in July, returns October-November (Terres 1980).
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Fishes, sea urchins, amphipods, squids. Forages at night catching food from surface of ocean. Feeds on refuse thrown from ships. Young initially fed regurgitated stomach oil, later mainly squid (Berger 1981).
Reproduction Comments
Single egg is laid mid-November to early December on Midway Island. Incubation, in long turns by both sexes, lasts 63-68 days. Young are tended by both sexes. Nestling stage lasts about 140 days. May not breed until 5+ years old. Life-long pair bond. Does not renest if egg is lost.
Length
81
Weight
3148
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G3G4
Global Status Last Reviewed
2005-10-12
Global Status Last Changed
2002-11-25
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=__&US.AK=__&US.HI=S3&US.OR=__" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
GH - 200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles) - GH - BREEDS: northwestern Hawaiian Islands (Kure east to Kaula) and on Torishima in Seven Islands of Izu (AOU 1998). Began breeding on San Benedicto Island, off the Pacific coast of Mexico, in 2000 (1 pair); apparently also nesting on Guadalupe Island, Mexico (Pitman and Ballance 2002). Formerly on northern Bonin, Volcano, Marianas and Marshall islands and Marcus, Wake and Johnston islands. RANGES: North Pacific south to Baja California, to Aleutians, Bering Sea (AOU 1998).
Global Range Code
GH
Global Range Description
200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)