![\"\"](\"https:\/\/birdfinding.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/BlackfootedAlbatross59.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\u00a9 Hiroyuki & Shoko Tanoi<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t \u00a9 Mason Maron<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Birdfinding.info \u21d2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 The common albatross of the eastern North Pacific, often seen in numbers on pelagic trips out of ports spanning from Alaska to Baja California\u2014at any time of year, but most numerous from March to October.\u00a0 Generally most numerous off of southern California in March and April, then shifts northward, with greater numbers present off of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon from August to October.\u00a0 It can also be found in Japanese waters east of Honshu and Hokkaido, and south to the Ogasawara Islands.\u00a0 In Hawaii large numbers breed in parts of the Northwest Chain.\u00a0 A few are sometimes seen among the main islands: on pelagic trips, especially in Kaulakahi Channel<\/strong><\/a>, and as visitors to the Laysan Albatross<\/strong><\/a> colonies on Oahu at Ka\u2019ena Point<\/strong><\/a> and on Kauai at Kilauea Point<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Phoebastria nigripes<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Family: Diomedeidae<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Breeds in Hawaii and offshore islands of Japan.\u00a0 Disperses throughout the North Pacific and adjacent seas.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t \u00a9 Xeno-Canto 2020<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Breeding.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Nests in November or December, mostly in large colonies on remote atolls but also in scattered pairs and small groups on headlands of larger islands.\u00a0 Most juveniles fledge in May and June.<\/p> In Hawaii, it breeds only in the Northwest Chain, where the largest colonies are on Midway Atoll (approximately 28,000 pairs) and Laysan (~23,000).\u00a0 Other colonies are on Pearl and Hermes Reefs (~6,100), French Frigate Shoals (~5,000), Kure (~3,500), Lisianski (~2,100 pairs), Necker (~100), Lehua (~40), Nihoa (~30), and Ka\u2019ula (~5).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Also breeds in the western North Pacific on Wake Island and Japan\u2019s offshore island groups.\u00a0 The Japanese population numbers several thousand, with the majority (~2,500 pairs) breeding on Torishima and a few hundred on Mukojima.\u00a0 There are smaller colonies, a few pairs each, on Hachijyo-kojima and Aogashima in the Izu Islands, Chichijima and Hahajima in the Ogasawara Islands, and on Kita-kojima, Minami-kojima and Koubisho in the Senkaku Islands.<\/p> Since around 2000 a few pairs have bred on Mexico\u2019s Isla San Benedicto, and possibly also on Guadalupe.<\/p> A few Black-footed have been found visiting the expanding Laysan Albatross colonies on Kauai and Oahu, and might be expected to nest there eventually, as they breed in mixed colonies in the Northwest Chain.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross visiting the Laysan Albatross colony at Ka\u2019ena Point, Oahu. \u00a0(April 6, 2019.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Sharif Uddin<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Nonbreeding.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Subadults and nonbreeding adults remain at sea year-round, and disperse essentially throughout the North Pacific, south to around 20\u00b0 N, and north into the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea.<\/p> The majority of the population seems to gravitate to offshore waters of North America from British Columbia to Baja California, where it is present in numbers year-round.<\/p> A significant minority summers in Alaskan waters, including the Bering Sea, Aleutians, and Gulf of Alaska, mainly from July to October.<\/p> Another sizeable minority of the population is present year-round in Japanese waters, with a few regularly appearing west to Taiwan and likely also in the East China Sea.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Identification<\/strong><\/span><\/p> A predominantly dark-brown albatross with a dark bill and black feet\u2014usually the only bird of this description present in the North Pacific.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross, showing its black feet.\u00a0 (Monterey Bay, California; May 13, 2019.) \u00a0\u00a9 Robin Gwen Agarwal<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Its plumage is characteristically brown overall, but the shades and patterns vary greatly with age, feather-wear, sun-bleaching, and viewing conditions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross, apparently a subadult or young adult based on its mostly dark-brown plumage. \u00a0(Offshore from Monterey, California; March 5, 2020.) \u00a0\u00a9 Robin Gwen Agarwal<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Juveniles are blackish-brown overall with a whitish fringe around the base of the bill.\u00a0 On older immatures and adults, the fringe around the base of the bill whitens and widens.\u00a0 They also have a white spot or patch below and behind the eye.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Adults tend to develop pale plumage elsewhere, but the patterns vary.\u00a0 Many turn pale-brown, then eventually white, on the belly.\u00a0 The bill also lightens from blackish to brown and sometimes becomes very pale.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross with a largely whitish (probably \u201cStage 4\u201d) rump.\u00a0 (Monterey Bay, California; April 14, 2019.) \u00a0\u00a9 Robin Gwen Agarwal<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross with an all-dark (\u201cStage 1\u201d) rump.\u00a0 (Southeast of Necker Island, Hawaii; April 2, 2020.) \u00a0\u00a9 Eric VanderWerf<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross, an adult with an all-white (\u201cStage 5\u201d) rump.\u00a0 (West of Ni\u2019ihau, Hawaii; March 27, 2020.) \u00a0\u00a9 Eric VanderWerf<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Most, if not all, adults progressively develop contrasting whitish or all-white undertail coverts and rump.\u00a0 There are five numbered \u201cstages\u201d\u2014from all-dark to >95% white\u2014which appear to correlate to maturity, although the correlation might be imprecise and skewed by sex (more white on males).<\/p> The shade of brown over most of the plumage can vary from blackish to pale-blond and even white\u2014especially on the head.\u00a0 Such bleaching can happen with both immatures and adults.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross, typically dark-brown overall.\u00a0 (Offshore from Newport, Oregon; October 7, 2018.) \u00a0\u00a9 Tanner Martin<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross, an exceptionally pale individual. \u00a0(Bodega Canyon, California; August 31, 2013.) \u00a0\u00a9 Caroline Lambert<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t The uppersides of the wings are entirely brown, except that the primaries have bright white shafts.<\/p> The undersides of the wings are dark overall, but often to show paler or whitish flashes on the primaries and to a lesser extent on the secondaries and one or more rows of coverts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross, juvenile\u2014all-dark except for a narrow whitish fringe around the base of the bill.\u00a0 (Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii; June 23, 2008.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Robert Webster<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed Albatross, showing pale-brown bill and general plumage coloration\u2014also note white undertail, indicating a mature adult.\u00a0 (Offshore from San Mateo County, California; August 24, 2019.) \u00a0\u00a9 Kent Forward<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Notes<\/strong><\/span><\/p> Monotypic species.<\/p> IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened<\/strong>.<\/p> See below for comparisons of Black-footed Albatross with Short-tailed, Sooty, and Light-mantled Albatrosses.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Cf. Immature Short-tailed Albatross.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Black-footed is usually the only all-dark albatross present in most parts of the North Pacific, except for immatures of the rare but increasing Short-tailed Albatross.\u00a0 The difference is usually obvious, as Short-tailed is significantly larger and typically shows a bright, bubblegum-pink bill, whereas Black-footed\u2019s bill is generally either black or some shade of brown.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Black-footed and immature Short-tailed (at right) Albatross.\u00a0 (Offshore from Tofino, British Columbia; March 24, 2018.)\u00a0 \u00a9 Ilya Povalyaev<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t In some cases, however, Short-tailed\u2019s bill can be dull-pink and Black-footed\u2019s bill tends to lighten with age, so the difference may not always be as conspicuous as field guide illustrations suggest.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"http:\/\/seabirding-japan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Black-footed-Albatross_200516Tomak_2880.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
![\u00a9 Hiroyuki & Shoko Tanoi<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t](\"http:\/\/seabirding-japan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Short-tailed-Albatross_WPO190412_7311.jpg\"){kind=link}