Painted

Published

1932

Volume

2

Plate

82.1

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Laysan Albatross

Diomedea immutabilis

DESCRIPTION

Deprived of wing exercise by family cares, LAYSAN ALBATROSSES revert to dancing to keep themselves fit. Fisher calls this diversion a cakewalk. The birds approach one another bowing profoundly and stepping heavily. They swagger about each other, curtseying solemnly, then suddenly fencing with crossed bills; whetting them sometimes with a whistling sound, meanwhile pecking and dropping stiff little bows. Suddenly one lifts its wing and nibbles at feathers underneath. The partner during this performance assumes a statuesque pose and either looks from side to side or snaps its bill loudly. Then the first bird bows once and pointing its head and bill perpendicularly, rises on its toes, puffs out its chest and utters a prolonged nasal Ah-h-h-h with rising inflection. Often other birds raise their heads and echo this ridiculous bovine groan. Occasionally the act is varied by one bird picking up a twig and presenting it to the partner — who refuses the gift but returns the compliment, whereupon both drop the offering and renew the bowing performance. The species was saved from extinction not by plume murderers but by President Roosevelt in 1909 when he created the group of island bird sanctuaries.

BREEDING

RANGE

Laysan and Midway islands and Pacific coasts of California.

laysan-albatross
gullbill-tern
Gullbill Tern
63
caspian-tern
Caspian Tern
64
royal-tern
Royal Tern
65
elegant-tern
Elegant Tern
66
cabot-tern
Cabot Tern
67
forster-tern
Forster Tern
69
common-tern
Common Tern
70
arctic-tern
Arctic Tern
71
roseate-tern
Roseate Tern
72
aleutian-tern
Aleutian Tern
73
least-tern
Least Tern
74
sooty-tern
Sooty Tern
75
black-tern
Black Tern
77
noddy
Noddy
79
black-skimmer
Black Skimmer
80
blackfoot-albatross
Blackfoot Albatross
81
shorttail-albatross
Shorttail Albatross
82
laysan-albatross
Laysan Albatross
82.1
fulmar-pacific-fulmar
Fulmar, Pacific Fulmar
86-86b
rodgers-fulmar
Rodgers Fulmar
86.1
slenderbill-fulmar
Slenderbill Fulmar
87
cory-shearwater
Cory Shearwater
88
greater-shearwater
Greater Shearwater
89
pinkfoot-shearwater
Pinkfoot Shearwater
91
audubon-shearwater
Audubon Shearwater
92
blackvent-shearwater
Blackvent Shearwater
93
townsend-shearwater
Townsend Shearwater
93.1
atlantic-shearwater
Atlantic Shearwater
94
sooty-shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
95
slenderbill-shearwater
Slenderbill Shearwater
96
wedgetail-shearwater
Wedgetail Shearwater
96.1
least-petrel
Least Petrel
103
stormy-petrel
Stormy Petrel
104
forktail-petrel
Forktail Petrel
105
kaeding-petrel
Kaeding Petrel
105.1
leach-petrel
Leach Petrel
106
guadalupe-petrel
Guadalupe Petrel
106.1
black-petrel
Black Petrel
107
ashy-petrel
Ashy Petrel
108
socorro-petrel
Socorro Petrel
108.1
wilson-petrel
Wilson Petrel
109
yellowbill-tropic-bird
Yellowbill Tropic Bird
112
redbill-tropic-bird
Redbill Tropic Bird
113
blueface-booby
Blueface Booby
114
bluefoot-booby
Bluefoot Booby
114.1
booby
Booby
115
brewster-booby
Brewster Booby
115.1
redfoot-booby
Redfoot Booby
116
gannet
Gannet
117
water-turkey
Water Turkey
118
cormorant
Cormorant
119
doublecrest-cormorant
Doublecrest Cormorant, Florida Cormorant
120-120a
whitecrest-cormorant
Whitecrest Cormorant, Farallon Cormorant
120b-120c
mexican-cormorant
Mexican Cormorant
121
brandt-cormorant
Brandt Cormorant
122
pelagic-cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant, Violetgreen Cormorant, Baird Cormorant
123-123a-123b
redface-cormorant
Redface Cormorant
124
white-pelican
White Pelican
125
brown-pelican
Brown Pelican
126
man-o-war-bird
Man-o’-war-bird
128