Short-tailed Albatross

Overview
Short-tailed Albatross: Largest and only white-bodied albatross in the North Pacific. The head and nape have a golden-yellow cast. White wings have black edges and tips. Tail is white with black fringe. Legs and feet are pink-gray. AKA Steller's Albatross. Almost became extinct in late 19th century.

Range and Habitat
Short-tailed Albatross: Endangered species. Once frequent in the northwestern Pacific. Currently, an estimated 200 nest on Torishima, an island south of Japan. Travels to Bering Sea and Alaska south along the Pacific coast south to California after breeding.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Short-tailed Albatross or Steller's Albatross was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas from skins collected by Georg Wilhelm Steller. Contrary to its name its tail is no shorter than that of the Laysan or Black-footed, and is actually longer than that of the other member of the genus Phoebastria, the Waved Albatross. Fossils of albatrosses from the mid-Pleistocene in Bermuda and North Carolina are considered to be closest to the Short-tailed Albatross. A group of albatrosses are known collectively as a "flight", "rookery", and "weight" of albatrosses.