Born to the Wind

Albatrosses are made for flying, capturing the wind with a grace that is literally effortless. They are pros at dynamic soaring, harnessing the wind to capture potential energy and translate it into kinetic energy in an endless loop of upwind climbs and downwind soars that lets them cross oceans. 

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Captions: The wandering albatross has the biggest wingspan of any bird, stretching almost 12 feet from wingtip to wingtip. 

With their enormous flight profile, wandering albatrosses are hard to miss as they loom larger on the horizon. They nest atop high ridges on sub-antarctic islands. You expect to hear Ride of the Valkyries when they show up.

We saw wandering albatrosses on open water while crossing the Drake Passage. They nest atop high ridges in the Malvinas and South Georgia.

Incredibly, these high-flying birds are so energy efficient that their wingtips practically brush the waves as they turn to begin their climb into the wind, maximizing the distance they can cover on every circle.

Wandering albatrosses, above, have pinkish bills and orange buff marks on their necks. But they can be mistaken for the southern royal albatross, below, which is virtually the same size and shares the same ocean.

Royal albatrosses breed in New Zealand but are found around the globe in sub-antarctic waters.