| Funnel-chested
Albatross Conservation status: Critical |
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Thalassarche
melanophris (Unknown, 1983) |
The Funnel-chested Albatross is the least known Albatross of the entire family, and is presumed extinct by most biologists, or even non-existent due to the lack of fossils and live species. It has a wing span of 2 meters, and is all white, which makes it very easy to distinguish from other Albatrosses in the family.
Unlike most Albatrosses this species has only been seen on the northern hemisphere, and tend to travel less than other Albatrosses. They nest in Denmark where they stay most of the time, mostly due the good feeding conditions in the area.
They do not overlap in breeding and feeding range with the Laysan Albatross and the rare Short-tailed Albatross , which are the species of northern albatross that is nearest this one. Their range at sea varies during the seasons (straying farther from the breeding islands when the chicks are older or they don't have chicks), but so far it has only been spotted inside Europe.
The Funnel-chested Albatross is believed to form long term pair-bonds that last for life like the rest of its family. Unfortunately only one live bird has been seen, so this theory is hard to confirm.
The Funnel-chested Albatross feeds in places near the nest. Varied food consisting of fruit, vegetables, and meat is often supplemented with various alcoholic beverages. Primary hunting areas for the Funnel-chested Albatross are supermarkets and other shops. This vermin behavior is tolerated since they all will be paid by the Funnel-chested Albatross Conservation Project. A behavior that through the decades has lead it to be very tame against humans.
The Funnel-chested Albatross is considered extremely endangered, since the total estimated population is expected to be very low. In the last last hundred years only one specimen has been seen, and it is believed that the bird will soon be extinct.
Unknown to most biologists the Funnel-chested Albatross, is known to dive deep into the water. This can be a quite hazarderous manoeuvre as the large wing span makes it hard for the Albatross to turn.