What is a Black-footed Albatross and what does it look like?
Watching an albatross fly is a breathtaking sight. These giant feathered seabirds have the largest wingspan of any known bird on the planet. Wingspan is measured with the bird in flight and wings fully extended, from the tip of one wing across the body of the bird to the tip of the other wing. The extended arm/wingspan of the average fifth grader, from fingertip to fingertip, is roughly 1.4 m (4.6 feet). The arm span of basketball star Michael Jordan is 2.1 m (6.9 feet). The wingspan of the Wandering albatross, the largest species of albatross, is 3.5 m (11.5 feet). The wingspan of the Black-footed albatross, one of the two dozen different species of albatross, is shorter, only measuring the distance of Michael Jordan’s arm span. The formidable wingspan of these giant birds allows them to ride the wind currents above the ocean for hours at a time, without landing or even flapping their wings. The Black-footed albatross has dark brown feathers (plumage) with a white area around the base
