Albatrosses: Inspiring Legends & Myths

For centuries, people have believed that albatrosses carried the spirits of sailors who had been lost at sea and possessed supernatural powers that could contribute to healing. Killing one was considered a warning that the ocean would respond with disaster.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) famously reflects this belief. In the poem, the central character shoots an albatross with his crossbow, leaving the crew fearful that the act will bring bad luck. As their voyage continues, those fears appear to come true, and the sailors punish him by hanging the dead bird around his neck. Over time, the image of the dead albatross became a lasting symbol of remorse for previous wrongdoing and guilt.

Albatrosses are remarkable ocean navigators, relying on wind currents to travel across the open seas. Sailors who watched these birds could sometimes use their movements as clues when deciding how to alter their course and steer clear of dangerous weather. Conversely, the absence of these great ocean travelers was often viewed as an unfavorable sign. For sailors with strong superstitions, simply spotting an albatross could be interpreted as reassurance that the voyage ahead would end safely.

Power

In the 18th century, Carl Linnaeus established the Latin naming system used to classify different species. He assigned albatrosses to the genus Diomedea, drawing inspiration from the Greek story in which the companions of the warrior Diomedes were changed into birds. Linnaeus was probably influenced by stories that were spreading throughout Europe at the time. These accounts described the extraordinary sight of enormous birds, with some species reaching wingspans of more than 3 metres, effortlessly gliding beside ships attempting to cross the rough waters of the Southern Ocean.

Albatrosses are sometimes known as the “Prince of the Wave,” a title inspired not only by their remarkable dimensions but also by their extraordinary abilities. Their powerful wings allow them to stay airborne for exceptionally long periods without touching the ground. They are highly skilled fliers that can travel across enormous stretches of ocean while barely needing to flap their wings. Once mature, they can spend years journeying thousands of miles across the globe. Some species even circle the Antarctic two or three times before eventually returning to distant breeding islands scattered throughout the Southern and Indian Oceans.

Everlasting Love

Albatrosses rarely gather on mainland shores. When they come onto land, they are generally found on remote islands, where they establish substantial breeding colonies. They form lifelong pair bonds and are often described as having one of the lowest divorce rates in the bird world.

Adult albatrosses are famous for their elaborate courtship performances. Wandering Albatross pairs, for example, can perform at least 22 recognizable movements, including rolling their heads, extending their wings, and rapidly clicking their bills. Laysan Albatrosses have an equally impressive repertoire of 24 movements, incorporating actions such as whinnying, flicking their heads, snapping their bills in the air, and clucking. These elaborate rituals have continued to develop over generations, creating highly distinctive courtship performances. Once a pair successfully bonds and breeds, the female produces just one egg.

Albatross couples spend only a limited amount of time together. They briefly reunite at their breeding colonies, where the egg is laid. Afterward, the parents take turns incubating the egg while the other bird travels out over the ocean in search of food. Both adults eventually need to make long foraging trips to provide enough nourishment for their growing chick. Once the young bird becomes independent, the pair separates and spends the remainder of the year apart, returning to the breeding grounds when it is time to reproduce again.

Vulnerable

Like the legends surrounding them, albatrosses are known for their remarkable longevity. One of the best-known examples is Wisdom, a Laysan Albatross that was first identified and tagged by scientists at Midway Atoll in 1956. She has continued returning to Midway over the decades and is believed to have successfully raised an extraordinary 36 chicks. At an estimated age of at least 70 years, Wisdom is considered one of the oldest wild birds ever recorded.

Sadly, Wisdom’s exceptional lifespan does not represent the fate of all seabirds. Across the world's oceans, huge numbers of birds gather around fishing vessels because unwanted fish and discarded offal provide an abundant source of food. Unfortunately, many birds die after becoming trapped on fishing hooks or colliding with trawl cables and nets. An estimated 100,000 to 500,000 seabirds are unintentionally killed by fishing activities each year through a problem known as bycatch. BirdLife partners across the world are working to reduce these accidental deaths and protect vulnerable seabird populations.

Conservation Efforts

The RSPB and BirdLife International established the Albatross Task Force (ATF) to tackle the deaths of albatrosses and petrels caused by fishing activities. Its goal is to lower mortality and help improve the conservation status of threatened seabirds. In a number of fisheries, the program has already produced significant results.

There is still considerable work ahead, but fishing vessels that follow the affordable measures developed by the ATF have helped save tens of thousands of seabirds every year. These practical methods include using bird-scaring lines and adding weight to fishing hooks so that the lines descend rapidly below the depth where feeding birds can reach them. In South African hake trawl fisheries, these measures have reduced albatross bycatch by 99%. Experimental studies have also demonstrated that reductions of up to 85% in seabird bycatch may be achievable in six other fishing regions where regulations require fishing practices designed to protect birds.

Working together with governments and the fishing industry, conservation organizations are seeking to introduce further improvements that can safeguard seabirds, one of the most threatened groups of birds worldwide. Through the continuing work of the Albatross Task Force and BirdLife International’s Marine Programme, the goal is to ensure that albatrosses remain living symbols of the natural world rather than creatures known only through ancient myths and legends.