Southern royal albatross
| Southern royal albatross | |
|---|---|
 |
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| East of Tasmania | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Procellariiformes |
| Family: | Diomedeidae |
| Genus: | Diomedea |
| Species: | D. epomophora |
| Binomial name | |
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Diomedea epomophora (Forster, 1785) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Diomedea epomophora epomophora |
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Diomedea epomophora epomophora
The southern royal albatross (Diomedea epomophora) is a large seabird from the albatross family. At an average wingspan of above 3 m (9.8 ft), it is one of the two largest species of albatross, together with the wandering albatross. Recent studies indicate that the southern royal albatross may, on average, be somewhat larger than the wandering albatross in mass and wingspan, although other sources indicate roughly similar size for the two species.
Albatrosses belong to Diomedeidae family and come from the Procellariiformes order, along with shearwaters, fulmars, storm petrels, and diving petrels. They share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns; the nostrils of the albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates. Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. It was once considered conspecific with the northern royal albatross (Diomedea sanfordi) as the royal albatross and the split into two species is almost universally accepted, for example by, BirdLife International, Brooke, and Robertson & Nunn.Clements still does not recognize the split, and the SACC has recognized the need for a proposal.
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