Excavations of Aleut and Eskimo settlements reveal many albatross bones and suggest that the birds were an important part of human diet in the region. The ferruginous hawk is the largest buteo in North America, with a length of 20 to 25 inches and a wingspan of 53 to 56 inches. The Laysan albatross was important to the indigenous hunters of the northern seas. Some albatross species were heavily hunted for feathers that were used as down and in the manufacture of women's hats. Albatrosses have a special place in maritime lore and superstition, most memorably evoked in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. DietĪlbatrosses feed primarily on squid or schooling fish, but are familiar to mariners because they sometimes follow ships in hopes of dining on handouts or garbage. Young albatrosses may fly within three to ten months, depending on the species, but then leave the land behind for some five to ten years until they themselves reach sexual maturity. Mating pairs produce a single egg and take turns caring for it. They are rarely seen on land and gather only to breed, at which time they form large colonies on remote islands. Like most vultures its diet is primarily. These long-lived birds have reached a documented 50 years of age. This Eurasian Species is found in isolated parts of Spain, west to China and into Korea. Albatrosses drink salt water, as do some other sea birds. They also float on the sea's surface, though the position makes them vulnerable to aquatic predators. Albatrosses use their formidable wingspans to ride the ocean winds and sometimes to glide for hours without rest or even a flap of their wings. These feathered giants have the longest wingspan of any bird-up to 11 feet! The wandering albatross is the biggest of some two dozen different species. The pylon that carries the Talon-A aircraft is approximately 14 feet (4.3 meters) long and 8,000 pounds (3,630 kilograms). An albatross aloft can be a spectacular sight. Roc, which is named after the giant bird in Middle Eastern mythology, features a twin fuselage design and a wingspan of over 385 feet (117 meters), making it the largest plane in the world.
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