ALBATROSSES (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Albatrosses face the looming threat of extinction, with the added concern that climate change poses a risk to their nesting sites, potentially exacerbating the challenges these majestic birds already confront.

Albatrosses

• About: The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is the world’s largest flying bird, with a wingspan reaching an incredible 3.5 metres.
• Family: Diomedeidae.
• Average Lifespan in the Wild: 30 years
• IUCN Red List Status: 2 critically endangered, 7 endangered, 6 vulnerable, 6 near threatened, 1 of least concern1
• Habitat: Southern Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean. They are not found in the North Atlantic region.
• Four main species of albatross: Great Albatrosses, North Pacific Albatrosses, Mollymawks and Sooty Albatrosses.
• IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable