5184 x 3455 px | 43,9 x 29,3 cm | 17,3 x 11,5 inches | 300dpi
Date de la prise de vue:
22 avril 2011
Lieu:
Punta Suarez, Espanola Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Informations supplémentaires:
The Waved Albatross derives its name from the wave-like pattern of its feathers on the adult birds. These are medium-sized albatrosses, measuring about 86–90 cm (34–35 in)[7] long, weighing in at 3.4 kg (7.5 lb), and having a wingspan 2.25m or 7.4 ft. The Waved Albatross, Phoebastria irrorata - also known as Galapagos Albatross - is the only member of the Diomedeidae family located in the tropics. When they forage, the Waved Albatross follow straight paths to a single site off the coast of Peru, about 1, 000 km (620 mi) distant to the east. During the non-breeding season, these birds reside primarily in the areas of the Ecuador and Peruvian coasts. The courtship of the Waved Albatross is a very elusive and spectacular sight to see. It includes: rapid bill circling and bowing, beak clacking, and an upraised bill to make a whoo hoo sound. Despite some 34, 700 adult birds still occurring in 2001, their numbers have apparently started to decrease at an unknown rate more recently, probably due to longline fishing which also upsets the sex ratio (males being killed more frequently). As the current situation makes the population highly vulnerable to a catastrophic collapse to extinction, it was uplisted to Endangered status in the 2007 IUCN Red List.
