{"id":2225,"date":"2019-10-25T18:44:43","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T18:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/?p=2225"},"modified":"2019-11-22T01:44:51","modified_gmt":"2019-11-22T01:44:51","slug":"the-wind-rises-black-footed-albatross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/2019\/10\/25\/the-wind-rises-black-footed-albatross\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wind Rises: Black-Footed Albatross"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Bird’s Eye View of the BFAL’s Physiology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Black-Footed Albatross, Midway Atoll USA. \u00a9 Wildencounters 2019 <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Black footed Albatross (BFAL) is one of the most magnificent birds to come across if you ever get on a boat to explore the Pacific\u2019s open water. Its wingspan is greater than that of a hawk’s. You will be blown away by its black sleek silhouette rising from just above the waves then soaring high into a gale. It definitely does not live like our familiar sparrow neighbors. We\u2019d better explore what makes this amazing bird the Black-Footed Albatross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a9 Glenn Bartley Nature Photography 2009<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The BFAL has the body length of 64-74 cm and the wingspan of 193-219 cm. The weight ranges from 2.2-4.3 kg (Cornell University, 2017). The black bills with white root and black foot + overall dark brown to grey plumage make this bird relatively easily recognizable from other albatrosses like Laysan Albatross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Size Comparison of the author and the BFAL. Wingspan: 220cm, Length 75cm. It’s a big bird! \u00a9 Hideki S<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you live in Nanaimo-Parksville area, then you\u2019ll almost never see a BFAL because it is found in marine saltwater environments miles offshore. Its range is extensive as it covers most of the Pacific Northern Hemisphere and parts of the southern; however, most of these birds travel to their breeding grounds; Hawaiian Islands and the small islands off the coast of Eastern Asia (Canada, 2017). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The BFAL has an extensive migratory range during its non-breeding period. However the breeding sites are very limited. Image \u00a9 Cornell lab of Ornithology 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The BFAL sighted off coast of Tofino in Summer 2019 \u00a9 Samuelle Simard-Proven\u00e7al<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Its average lifespan is about 12-45 years (Cornell University, 2017). Due to the declined population by the cruel human activities in the past decades, IUCN used to categorize the BFAL as \u201cendangered\u201d. However due to the protection efforts, it happily got bumped up to the \u201cnear threatened\u201d category in 2018 and numbers are increasing each year, great news! (Avibase, 2019). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you check on the eBird, BC does get a decent number of BFAL sightings annually. Of note that Nanaimo is yet to see any eBird record. However Nanaimo has recorded a few rare stray BFALs in the past. The most recent (to Oct 25th 2019) sighting had taken place on the offshore water of the Queen Charlotte Islands.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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BFAL dealing with the big catch. \u00a9 2016- 2019 blueoceanwhalewatch.com <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Unlike similar sized birds, like the Bald Eagle, BFAL is not quite a vicious aerial hunter nor even an underwater pursuer like a penguin. In the wild, it is mostly the scavenger of the sea (Anderson et al, 2000). It most actively forages during night or early in the morning, looking for prey or floating food near the surface and scoops food out of the shallow water. Its diet consists of fish, fish eggs, squid, crustaceans, and jellyfish (Harrison et at, 1983). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flying fish spawn on floating debris in a big frenzy, making a big floating mass of their eggs. These eggs are a major part of the BFAL diet and the main staple for fledging chicks during breeding (Harrison et at, 1983). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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