ALBATROSS GROUP 
(Albatrosses, Shearwaters and Petrels) 
The birds of this group are often called the Tubinares , or tube-nosed swim¬ 
mers, the Latin name referring to their tubular external nostrils. They are 
all strong flying birds of the open ocean and with their long, narrow wings 
and stout webbed feet are admirably equipped for this mode of life. The 
albatross is a long-distance flier, whose strong flight is characterized by 
circling and soaring. It feeds by day, and its habits were observed by sea¬ 
farers at a very early period in maritime history. 
Some sixteen or eighteen widely distributed species of albatrosses 
have been identified in both warm and cold oceanic regions. Outstanding 
among them is the yellow-billed albatross, or “mollymauk” as the English 
sailors call it. This bird is found in large numbers on the rocky island 
of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic, where it builds its cylindrical 
nest of turf and clay. The wandering albatross, one of the largest flying birds 
known, with an average wing span of eleven feet, inhabits the South Seas. 
Hood Island, of the Galapagos archipelago, is the favorite breeding ground 
of the small sooty albatross. One species which inhabits the southern 
stretches of the Indian Ocean is almost pure white. 
The shearwaters number some twenty-five species and also have a 
very wide distribution. As a group they are considerably smaller than the 
albatrosses. There is, however, some overlap, the larger shearwaters ex¬ 
ceeding the smaller albatrosses in size. The great shearwater is the largest 
of the group, measuring some eighteen inches. This bird is common in 
the Atlantic Ocean. The Manx shearwater is abundant in the British seas 
and breeds along the shores of the English Channel and on the Isle of Man 
in the Irish Sea. One of the few American forms is the black-vented shear¬ 
water, found along the southern coast of California. 
Also included in this group are the petrels, small sea birds endowed 
with great powers of flight. The stormy petrel of the North Atlantic is 
familiar to many as “Mother Carey’s chicken.” 
Albatrosses: Galapagos Albatross, Black-browed Albatross. 
Shearwaters: Manx Shearwater. 
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