Home > Marine Life > Birds > Black-footed Albatross

Family Diomedeidae

NORTH PACIFIC / HAWAII

Phoebastria nigripes

Hunchback walking style

Nuptial preening

Dancing

Sky Pointing

Feeding chick

Sand Island, Midway Atoll

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS    KA'UPU

Approximately 109,000 nest on sandy dunes of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands during winter & spring.  Often sighted along the coast of Northern California during summer.  Feeds upon buoyant Flyingfish eggs, small fishes, squid, zooplankton, and discarded bait in the North Pacific.  A threatened species due to mortalities caused by interactions with longline fishing gear & ingestion of marine debris.  Special measures are taken by US vessels to reduce this threat.  Some nests exist on Japanese offshore islands.