Black-footed Albatross

Phoebastria nigripes Order: Procellariiformes Family: Diomedeidae (Albatrosses)
Phoebastria nigripes Order: Procellariiformes Family: Diomedeidae (Albatrosses)

This is the albatross I’ve seen most often, though on only two occasions–Debi Shearwater pelagic trips in 2013 and 2019. (The only other albatross I’ve ever seen is the Laysan, but then it was only two flying by from a great distance when I was climbing Diamond Head on Oahu with my family.) I have several photos of this species, none of any others.

This albatross made the Guinness Book of World Records:

Black-footed Albatross: Keenest sense of smell in a bird. Few birds have a highly developed sense of smell. However, the black-footed albatross (Diomedea nigripes), native to the North Pacific, has a sense of smell sensitive enough for it to be attracted by the smell of bacon fat poured onto the ocean surface at least 30 km (18 miles) away. Other birds with a keen sense of smell are the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) of America, and the kiwis (genus Apteryx) of New Zealand ¬ which, unlike other birds, have their nostrils at the tip of their bill instead of at the base.

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