The largest sea bird of Russia , wingspan exceeds 2 meters. Adult birds are white, on the head and neck are yellow bloom, the top of the wings and tail are black-brown at the edges. Beak and legs are light, usually pink or bluish. The plumage of young birds is darker, white stripes across the base of the wings.
The White-backed Albatross is a nomadic Pacific bird that previously nested on the volcanic islands of the Pacific Ocean - Pescador Islands , Ryukyu , Daito, Bonin. Today, nesting white-backed albatrosses are found on the protected islands of Torisima and Senkaku . In Russia, nesting sites were not noted, however, white-backed albatrosses appear in the fall and winter in the coastal waters of Primorye , Sakhalin , Kamchatka , the Commander and Kuril Islands .
Breeds on islands of volcanic origin, with steep shores covered with grass. Sexual maturity comes in 7-8 years. Like all albatrosses, the white-backed one lays only one egg. which both parents alternately incubate for 64 days. About 5 months the chick remains in the nest, the parents feed it with semi-digested food - squid, fish, sea crustaceans, wastes from hunting and fishing.
White-backed albatross. Coin of the Bank of Russia - Series: “The Red Book”, silver, 2 rubles, 2010
The white-backed albatross is considered an endangered species. At the moment, presumably, there are about 250 individuals. The main causes of the disappearance of the white-backed albatross are considered - late onset of puberty, high mortality of chicks from rats and feral cats, volcanic activity, poaching of birds. The white-backed albatross is listed in the Red Book of Russia and Japan .
In the 19th century, the white-backed albatross was targeted. In 1886 , a company was established in Japan to collect feathers and down albatrosses. Within 15 years, until 1902 , on the islands where these birds nested, up to 5 million copies were destroyed. On the island of Thorysima, the white-backed albatross was almost completely exterminated in the early 30s of the 20th century, then after a break the birds reappeared there in 1950. From 1977 to 1979 on the island of Torisim the number of marked individuals ranged from 50 to 60 pairs. [3]
