Albatrosses

Albatrosses in flight are soaring birds, "floating" on the air for extended periods without flapping their wings. They have the greatest wingspan of any bird; the wingspan of the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) may reach 12 ft (3.7 m). The slender wings of albatrosses have a large aspect ratio, that is, a high ratio of wing length to wing width. This characteristic minimizes drag (air resistance) during flight, because the area at the tip of the wing is relatively small compared to the overall wing length. In addition, since albatrosses are large, relatively heavy birds, the amount of load on the wing is rather high. In fact, it is thought that albatrosses are close to the structural limits of wing design. In spite of this, albatrosses can soar extremely well, even in windless conditions, using slight updrafts of air created by waves on the water surface.

While albatrosses are remarkably graceful in the air, they are ungainly on land and on the surface of the water, to which they must descend to feed on fish and squid. To become airborne again, albatrosses must run into the wind across the surface of the water or land, until they can hoist themselves aloft. This ungraceful take-off, and their clumsy landings, are the reasons the Laysan albatross (D. immutabilis) of Midway Island was dubbed the "Gooney Bird" by servicemen during World War II.

The navigational powers of albatrosses are impressive. They often spend many weeks at sea searching for food, well out of sight of land and obvious geographical landmarks. Some 82% of Laysan albatrosses transported experimentally to unfamiliar sites up to 4,740 mi (7,630 km) from their nesting site were able to find their way back. In contrast, only 67% of Leach's storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) were able to navigate much shorter distances back to their home area—up to 540 mi (870 km).