The wandering albatross, known for possessing the largest wingspan of any bird, covers immense distances across the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean. These flyers spend most of their lives soaring over the waves, touching down only to breed or feed. Their immense foraging range, which spans Antarctic, sub-Antarctic, and subtropical waters, necessitates a unique and highly adaptable diet.
The Primary Menu: Squid and Fish
The diet of the wandering albatross is dominated by cephalopods and fish, which are the main energy sources fueling their powerful, long-distance flights. Cephalopods, primarily various species of squid, often form the largest portion of their natural intake. Analysis of regurgitated stomach contents from chicks has shown squid to account for a significant percentage of the total mass consumed, sometimes nearing 60 percent.
The birds target squid species that perform diel vertical migration, meaning they rise toward the ocean surface at night. They rely on squid that are either naturally floating after spawning or that have recently died. The discovery of squid beaks in their stomach contents belonging to deep-dwelling species confirms their reliance on readily available, surface-floating prey, as these depths are far beyond the albatross’s diving capability.
Fish are the other major component, with species like the Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) being identified in their diet. They often consume smaller, slower-moving fish or those that congregate near the surface. In addition to these primary items, wandering albatrosses also opportunistically consume smaller amounts of crustaceans, such as krill, and various forms of carrion or gelatinous zooplankton.
Surface Feeding and Scavenging Techniques
Wandering albatrosses are primarily surface feeders, employing a method known as surface-seizing to acquire their meals. This technique involves landing on the water to grab prey floating at or just beneath the surface without performing deep dives. While they are capable of shallow plunges, they are not adapted for the deep pursuit of living fish or squid in the open ocean.
A highly developed sense of smell, which is uncommon among birds, enables their foraging success. The wandering albatross uses its large olfactory system to detect the scent of decaying matter or oil slicks from great distances across the water. Studies confirm that initial detection by smell is implicated in nearly half of all successful approaches to a food source, allowing them to locate patchily distributed items like carrion or fishery waste.
This reliance on smell makes them highly effective scavengers that readily exploit floating carcasses of marine mammals and seabirds. They frequently follow fishing vessels, scavenging on discards like fish offal and unwanted catch. This opportunistic behavior provides a substantial supplement to their diet, but it increases their risk of being caught as bycatch.
How Migration Influences Their Meals
The expansive movements of the wandering albatross mean their diet shifts significantly depending on their life stage and geographic location. Non-breeding birds, including juveniles and adults, undertake massive circumpolar migrations, foraging across diverse ocean zones. These individuals exhibit a highly varied and opportunistic diet, consuming whatever is available across different latitudes and ocean currents.
In contrast, breeding adults become “central place foragers,” meaning they must return regularly to a single nest site to feed their chick. During this demanding period, their foraging trips are shorter and more localized, concentrating on more predictable food patches near the colony. This necessity for predictable resources can lead to a divergence in foraging zones between the sexes.
During chick-rearing, for example, male albatrosses often forage in colder, more productive sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters. Females tend to range further north into warmer subtropical waters, resulting in a different prey composition in their diet. This geographic segregation is thought to reduce competition between the pair, ensuring a steady supply of varied nutrients for their offspring.