Laysan Albatross

About the Laysan Albatross

The Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) is a large seabird that ranges across the North Pacific. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to 99.7% of the population. This small (for its family) gull-like albatross is the second-most common seabird in the Hawaiian Islands, with an estimated population of 1.18 million birds, and is currently expanding (or possibly re-expanding) its range to new islands. The Laysan albatross was first described as Diomedea immutabilis by Lionel Walter Rothschild, in 1893, on the basis of a specimen from Laysan Island.

It is named for Laysan, one of its breeding colonies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the island where the type specimen was collected. The genus name, Phoebastria, comes from Greek phoibastria, meaning a prophetess. The species name, immutabilis, is Latin for "unchanging" and refers to the similarity of immature birds' plumage to that of adults.

The Laysan albatross averages 81 cm (32 in) in length and has a wingspan of 195 to 203 cm (77–80 in). Males, which weigh 2.4 to 4.1 kg (5.3–9.0 lb), are larger than females, which weigh 1.9 to 3.6 kg (4.2–7.9 lb). This albatross has blackish-gray... Wikipedia →