Black-footed Albatross Flight School

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BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

 

Oikonos, Oceans Stewardship: Education and Outreach
Oikonos-Ecosystem Knowledge education collaborative provides a direct link between Oikonos' Black-footed Albatross satellite-tracking research and conservation actions. This long-lived, charismatic seabird is being used as an ambassador of the marine environment for a call to action in preventing plastic pollution.
Grade level: 7-12

FUN FACT:The Black-footed Albatross drinks seawater and excretes excess salt through glands above the eyes.- Cornell University, All About Birds

Oikonos, Ocean Stewardship: Black-Footed Albatross Tracking
Taking a boat out to the open ocean is the best way to experience life at sea. The next best way is to use your mouse! This online, interactive poster allows you to roll over an ocean traveler (seabird) to learn about its life at sea.

Plastics Are Forever: Albatross Dissection
Plastics are Forever provides local high schools with a curriculum about plastic debris in the environment. The California Coastal Commission provided a grant in 2004-06 to work with the Environmental Charter High School to investigate plastic debris on beaches, trawl for plastic debris along the Pacific coast, and study plastic ingested by albatross.
Grade Level: 9-12

FUN SOUND: Most common call is a nasal double-bray. Also gives long single notes and growls. Calls are generally lower, louder, and more nasal than those of Laysan Albatross. » listen to songs of this species. - Cornell University, All About Birds

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary: Activity Packet
The sanctuary and its surrounding waters is a fine destination for abundant food resources for the black-footed albatross. This migration activity uses data from a recent tagging study to demonstrate the incredible migratory paths these species make during breeding season. Activity includes: glossary of terms, background information, maps, data, and questions/answers for teachers. Click here (1.4MB) to download an Albatross Migration activity aligned to CA State Standards.

Albatross Natural History Slideshow with Script

This PowerPoint slideshow gives an overview of black-footed and Laysan Albatrosses. It is available on CD. To request a CD, email mailto:jennifer.stock@noaa.gov to receive a copy in the mail. Slideshow available as a pdf file, To download click here. (1.5MB PDF) Download the slideshow script here. (92KB PDF)

FUN FACT:The Black-footed Albatross has a number of apparent adaptations to stay cool at hot, exposed nest sites. These include an extensive network of blood vessels in the head, as well as a habit of raising the feet off the ground. - Cornell University, All About Birds
  
FUN FACT: The Black-footed Albatross has a keen sense of smell, which it uses to locate food across vast expanses of ocean. - Cornell University, All About Birds
BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS CONSERVATION

 

The Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary was established in 1989 to protect and preserve sea birds, mammals and other natural resources of Cordell Bank and surrounding waters.

Albatross Conservation, Longline Fishing:
Longline fisheries have burgeoned throughout the world. Seabirds dive on lines and bait, and become impaled on hooks and drown. Seabirds also swallow baited hooks during line retrieval. Hundreds of thousands of seabirds die annually, becoming unintended "bycatch".

Save the Albatross!
Three albatross species are Critically Endangered, seven are Endangered and nine are Vulnerable. We have the solutions to stop many albatross deaths.

NOAA Fisheries National Bycatch Strategy is intended to provide a framework for partnership-based conservation and management to reduce threats and prevent or stop population declines. Final Laysan and Black-Footed Albatross Action Plan, Version 1.0

Birdlife International, Save the Albatross: BirdLife's Save the Albatross Campaign is trying to stop the needless slaughter of albatross by ensuring that relevant international agreements are implemented that will benefit the birds and the legal fishing industry.

BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS VIDEOS

 

Dance of the black-footed albatross (mating dance)


 You Tube

Tiger Shark VS. Black-footed Albatross

 National Geographic on YouTube