Amsterdam Albatross
Encyclopedia
The Amsterdam Albatross or Amsterdam Island Albatross, Diomedea amsterdamensis, is a huge albatross
which breeds only on Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean
. It was only described in 1983, and was thought by some researchers to be a sub-species of the Wandering Albatross
, exulans. BirdLife International recognizes it as a species, Clements does not, and the SACC
has a proposal on the table to split the species. More recently, mitchondrial DNA comparisons between the Amsterdam Albatross, the Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans, the Antipodean Albatross
D. antipodensis and the Tristan Albatross
D. dabbenena, provide clear genetic evidence that the Amsterdam Albatross is a separate species.
order, along with Shearwater
s, Fulmar
s, Storm-petrel
s, and Diving-petrels. They share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. Although the nostrils on the Albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between 7 and 9 horny plates. Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of wax ester
s and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus
. This is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights.
hero Diomedes
whose companions were turned to birds, and amsterdamensis, a Latin
form of Amsterdam the island where they are found.
, at an altitude of between 500 to 600 m (1,640.4 to 1,968.5 ft) above sea level on the Plateau des Tourbières
. There is uncertainty regarding its whereabouts when it is not breeding, though there have been possible sightings in Australia
and New Zealand
.
that breeds in brown, rather than the more usual white, plumage
. This bird is 4.8 to 8 kg (10.6 to 17.6 lb),and 107 to 122 cm (42.1 to 48 in) long with a wingspan of 280 to 340 cm (110.2 to 133.9 in). The adult bird has chocolate brown upper parts, and is white on its face mask, throat, lower breast, and belly. It has a broad brown breast band along with brown undertail coverts. Its pink bill has a dark tip and dark cutting edges, and finally, its underwings are white except for the dark tip and the dark leading edge.
, crustacean
s, and fish. Off-duty birds during the incubation stage of the breeding cycle cover large areas of the Indian Ocean
, travelling up to 2400 km (1,491.3 mi).
the egg in alternate stints that last for about a week, with the chick hatching after 80 days. The chick is brooded for a month, and overall takes 230 days to fledge
. At first it is fed by its parents every three days, with the feeding frequency reducing as it approaches fledging. At the peak of weight gain the chick weighs more than its parents, but then loses weight as the extra reserves are used to grow feathers. Having fledged the young bird stays at sea for around five years before returning to the colony, and begins breeding a few years later. The breeding "language" of the Amsterdam Albatross is similar to that of the Wandering Albatross.
, by the IUCN, with an occurrence range of 4400000 km² (1,698,849.5 sq mi) and a breeding range of only 7 km² (2.7 sq mi). The population upon discovery was just 5 breeding pairs; with conservation
this has increased to 18 to 25 breeding pairs. The world population is estimated at 80 mature individuals and a total of some 130 birds. The island on which this albatross breeds has undergone a significant decline in habitat condition due to the introduction
of feral cats and cattle
, while the birds are threatened at sea by the practice of longline fishing. Because there is only one breeding location, they are also especially vulnerable to disease such as Pasteurella multocida
(Avian Cholera) and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae
.
To help in the conservation efforts banding
of the birds and frequent censuses are undertaken, and fencing to keep cattle out of their breeding areas.
Albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
which breeds only on Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. It was only described in 1983, and was thought by some researchers to be a sub-species of the Wandering Albatross
Wandering Albatross
The Wandering Albatross, Snowy Albatross or White-winged Albatross, Diomedea exulans, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae, which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It was the first species of albatross to be described, and was long considered the same species as the Tristan...
, exulans. BirdLife International recognizes it as a species, Clements does not, and the SACC
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
has a proposal on the table to split the species. More recently, mitchondrial DNA comparisons between the Amsterdam Albatross, the Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans, the Antipodean Albatross
Antipodean Albatross
The Antipodean Albatross, Diomedea antipodensis, is a large seabird, from the albatross family. Antipodean Albatrosses are smaller than Wandering Albatrosses, and breed in predominantly brown plumage, but are otherwise difficult to distinguish from Wanderers.-Etymology:Diomedea antipodensis breaks...
D. antipodensis and the Tristan Albatross
Tristan Albatross
The Tristan Albatross, Diomedea dabbenena, is a large seabird from the albatross family. One of the great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea, it was only widely recognised as a full species in 1998.-Taxonomy:...
D. dabbenena, provide clear genetic evidence that the Amsterdam Albatross is a separate species.
Taxonomy
Albatrosses belong to Diomedeidae family and come from the ProcellariiformesProcellariiformes
Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels...
order, along with Shearwater
Shearwater
Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 30 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus Calonectris and many smaller species in the genus Puffinus...
s, Fulmar
Fulmar
Fulmars are seabirds of the family Procellariidae. The family consists of two extant species and two that are extinct.-Taxonomy:As members of Procellaridae and then the order Procellariiformes, they share certain traits. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called...
s, Storm-petrel
Storm-petrel
Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...
s, and Diving-petrels. They share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. Although the nostrils on the Albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between 7 and 9 horny plates. Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of wax ester
Wax ester
An ester of a fatty acid and a long-chain alcohol. These oils have similar properties as triglycerides, but are indigestible. They are found in some fish such as orange roughy, oilfish, escolar, black oreo, smooth oreo and other deep water fish. They are also present in marine copepods. Wax...
s and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus
Proventriculus
The proventriculus is part of the digestive system of birds, invertebrates and insects.-Birds:The proventriculus is a standard part of avian anatomy...
. This is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights.
Etymology
Diomedea amsterdamensis can be broken down into Diomedea from the GreekGreeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
hero Diomedes
Diomedes
Diomedes or Diomed is a hero in Greek mythology, known for his participation in the Trojan War.He was born to Tydeus and Deipyle and later became King of Argos, succeeding his maternal grandfather, Adrastus. In Homer's Iliad Diomedes is regarded alongside Ajax as one of the best warriors of all...
whose companions were turned to birds, and amsterdamensis, a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
form of Amsterdam the island where they are found.
Range and habitat
The Amsterdam Albatross breeds only on Amsterdam Island, French Southern TerritoriesFrench Southern Territories
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands , full name Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands , consist of:...
, at an altitude of between 500 to 600 m (1,640.4 to 1,968.5 ft) above sea level on the Plateau des Tourbières
Plateau des Tourbières
The Plateau des Tourbières comprises the highest upland region of Amsterdam Island, a small French territory in the southern Indian Ocean. Over 500 m above sea level, it contains the island’s highest peaks: Mont de la Dives , Grande Marmite and Mont Fernand...
. There is uncertainty regarding its whereabouts when it is not breeding, though there have been possible sightings in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Description
The Amsterdam Albatross is a great albatrossGreat albatross
The great albatrosses are seabirds in the genus Diomedea in the albatross family. The genus Diomedea formerly included all albatrosses except the sooty albatrosses, but in 1996 the genus was split with the mollymawks and the North Pacific albatrosses both being elevated to separate genera...
that breeds in brown, rather than the more usual white, plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
. This bird is 4.8 to 8 kg (10.6 to 17.6 lb),and 107 to 122 cm (42.1 to 48 in) long with a wingspan of 280 to 340 cm (110.2 to 133.9 in). The adult bird has chocolate brown upper parts, and is white on its face mask, throat, lower breast, and belly. It has a broad brown breast band along with brown undertail coverts. Its pink bill has a dark tip and dark cutting edges, and finally, its underwings are white except for the dark tip and the dark leading edge.
Behaviour
Because of its rarity, the feeding ecology and at-sea distribution of the Amsterdam Albatross is not well understood; although, it is believed that they eat squidSquid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, and fish. Off-duty birds during the incubation stage of the breeding cycle cover large areas of the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, travelling up to 2400 km (1,491.3 mi).
Reproduction
Amsterdam Albatrosses breed biennially in open marshy ground. Both parents incubateAvian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
the egg in alternate stints that last for about a week, with the chick hatching after 80 days. The chick is brooded for a month, and overall takes 230 days to fledge
Fledge
Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...
. At first it is fed by its parents every three days, with the feeding frequency reducing as it approaches fledging. At the peak of weight gain the chick weighs more than its parents, but then loses weight as the extra reserves are used to grow feathers. Having fledged the young bird stays at sea for around five years before returning to the colony, and begins breeding a few years later. The breeding "language" of the Amsterdam Albatross is similar to that of the Wandering Albatross.
Conservation
The Amsterdam Albatross is listed as critically endangeredCritically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
, by the IUCN, with an occurrence range of 4400000 km² (1,698,849.5 sq mi) and a breeding range of only 7 km² (2.7 sq mi). The population upon discovery was just 5 breeding pairs; with conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
this has increased to 18 to 25 breeding pairs. The world population is estimated at 80 mature individuals and a total of some 130 birds. The island on which this albatross breeds has undergone a significant decline in habitat condition due to the introduction
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
of feral cats and cattle
Amsterdam Island Cattle
Amsterdam Island Cattle are a feral breed of wild cattle that has existed in isolation on Amsterdam Island, a small French territory in the southern Indian Ocean, since 1871.-History:...
, while the birds are threatened at sea by the practice of longline fishing. Because there is only one breeding location, they are also especially vulnerable to disease such as Pasteurella multocida
Pasteurella multocida
Pasteurella multocida is a Gram-negative, non-motile coccobacillus that is penicillin-sensitive and belongs to the Pasteurellaceae family . It can cause avian cholera in birds and a zoonotic infection in humans, which typically is a result of bites or scratches from domestic pets...
(Avian Cholera) and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae
Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae
Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is a gram-positive, catalase-negative, rod-shaped bacterium. It grows aerobically and anaerobically and does not contain endotoxin. Distributed worldwide, E. rhusiopathiae is primarily considered an animal pathogen, causing a disease known as erysipelas in animals...
.
To help in the conservation efforts banding
Bird ringing
Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually numbered, metal or plastic tag to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the ability to re-find the same individual later...
of the birds and frequent censuses are undertaken, and fencing to keep cattle out of their breeding areas.