Albatross and Their Huge Wingspan

Albatrosses look a bit like giant seagulls, but your chances of seeing one are limited. Albatrosses rarely come to land except to have babies. Even then, they prefer remote islands, rather than crowded beaches. Albatrosses have huge wings. Their wingspan can reach 11 feet – almost twice as tall as your dad.

Albatrosses look a bit like giant seagulls. What’s more all about albatross, is they rarely come to land except to have babies.

Their wings work like the wings of a glider. Albatrosses can glide for hours and hours above the ocean, floating on a breeze. When they get tired, they float on the ocean water.

Their wingspan can reach 11 feet – almost twice as tall as your dad.

Fun Facts about Albatross for Kids

• Albatrosses drink salty sea water. If you drank sea water, you’d become very sick.
• Albatrosses gather together in large colonies to mate. Albatross moms usually lay one egg. Both the moms and dads sit on the eggs and take care of the hatchlings.
• Albatrosses eat fish and squid. Sometimes they follow boats to eat garbage.
• Eskimos hunted these giant birds.

Albatrosses gather together in large colonies to mate.

Albatross Vocabulary

1. Prefer: like
2. Remote: distant
3. Huge: very big
4. Colony: group
5. Hatchling: baby bird

Albatross often eat plastic bottles, toothbrushes and other items thrown in the ocean, become sick and die.

Learn More All About Albatross

Watch this eye-opening video of the truth about the lives of baby albatrosses:

A video documentary about the scary side of the lives of baby albatrosses.

Albatross Q&A

Question: Can baby albatrosses fly?

Answer: Baby albatrosses learn to fly when they are several months old. They head out to the ocean and don’t come back for five to 10 years, or until they are ready to mate.

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Question: Are albatrosses endangered?

Answer: Of the 22 species of albatrosses living on the earth, 19 are in danger of becoming extinct. Pollution and loss of habitat are two reasons. Another reason is that albatross often eat plastic bottles, toothbrushes and other items thrown in the ocean.

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