| Southern Royal Albatross | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Family: | Diomedeidae |
| Genus: | Diomedea |
| Species: | Diomedea epomophora |
The Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) is a large seabird in the albatross family.
Description[]
At a length of 1.1-1.2 m, a mean mass of 8.5 kg, and an average wingspan of above 3 m, it is one of the two largest species of albatross, together with the Wandering Albatross. Recent studies indicate that the Southern Royal Albatross may, on average, be somewhat larger than the Wandering Albatross in mass and have a similar wingspan, although other sources indicate roughly similar size for the two species and the wandering species may have a larger average wingspan in some colonies. Overall, both species are close enough in dimensions that size solely is not beneficial in identification of the species.
Juveniles sport white heads, necks, upper mantles, and underparts. Black speckles constitute the mantle. White flecks are on the coverts of the dark brown or black wings. The white tails and underwings have black tails. The black on the tails and backs are lost soon, and white appears gradually in the upperwing as speckles from the leading edge. A pink bill with black on the cutting edge on the upper mandible is possessed in all ages. The legs are flesh-colored. Young birds with all-dark upperwings can be hard to contrast with the Northern Royal Albatross. Clear but subtle traits differentiating the species from the Wandering Albatross include a clean black and white appearance along with lack of peach neck spot found in the latter. Most Wandering Albatrosses have dark feathers in the tail and crown and the white in this species expands from the middle of the wing, in larger blotches. The bill color is also slightly paler, as well as the dark cutting edge along the middle. The average life span is 58 years.