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What kind of bird is albatross?
seabirds
albatross, (family Diomedeidae), any of more than a dozen species of large seabirds that collectively make up the family Diomedeidae (order Procellariiformes). Because of their tameness on land, many albatrosses are known by the common names mollymawk (from the Dutch for “foolish gull”) and gooney.
What does albatross bird look like?
They look white in flight, but even the wanderers have a few darker feathers on their wings, and many of the smaller species have varying combinations of black, white, brown and gray plumage. Albatrosses are masters of soaring flight, able to glide over vast tracts of ocean without flapping their wings.
Are albatross and seagulls the same?
Seagulls inhabit inland or coastal environments, whereas albatross are always oceanic and barely stay on ground. The bill of albatross is a specially adapted weapon to attack marine creatures, while sea gulls have a long beak that can open wide to catch larger prey items.
Do albatross birds still exist?
However, thanks to harmful fishing techniques and predation by invasive species, albatrosses around the world are either under threat or endangered. There are 23 species of albatrosses, though arguably the most famous is the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans), which is the largest flying bird in the world.
What bird can stay in the air the longest?
common swift
That means the common swift holds the record for the longest continuous flight time of any bird. Alpine swifts can fly up to six months without stopping, and great frigate birds, with their giant 7½-foot wingspans, can soar across the Indian Ocean for about two months on end.
What does albatross around the neck mean?
An annoying burden: “That old car is an albatross around my neck.” Literally, an albatross is a large sea bird. The phrase alludes to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” in which a sailor who shoots a friendly albatross is forced to wear its carcass around his neck as punishment.