Black-footed Albatross

Black-footed Albatrosses are not frequently found in warm southern California waters. They are rare, but most expected in late spring (April-June). So this August bird was a welcome surprise.

The wings are just barely longer than a Brown Pelican, making this one of the smaller albatrosses. Brown Pelicans have longer necks and a very long bill, thus are much longer. The pelican also has very wide rounded wings, and is a much heavier bird. It's no contest with a White Pelican (which is rarely found along the beach and never(?) offshore. The White Pelican is huge, even compared to the Brown Pelican.

There is considerable wear on the wing coverts and some signs of flight feather molt. So the bird is not a juvenile. On the other hand, there is no hint of white on the rump or under tail coverts, so the bird is no more than 2 years old. So an age of 1-1/2 years old (hatched January or February) seems correct. Birds get more white on the rump and under tail coverts as the bird ages.

Black-footed Albatross. Off San Diego, California. August 19, 2018.