Black-footed Albatross

The Black-footed Albatross is the darkest of the North Pacific's common albatrosses, cloaked almost entirely in sooty brown-black plumage. It often forages and breeds in the same regions as the Laysan Albatross but is readily told apart by its overall dark coloration.

• Body feathers are dark sooty brown to blackish overall, without the white underparts of the Laysan Albatross
• Whitish feathering can appear around the base of the bill and beneath the eye, providing limited contrast against the otherwise dark plumage
• Older adults sometimes show white feathering developing at the base of the tail (uppertail coverts), an indicator of advancing age
• Flight feathers are long, narrow, and uniformly dark, adapted for efficient dynamic soaring
• Tail feathers are dark sooty brown, matching the body

• Adults are dark sooty brown to blackish overall, with limited whitish feathering around the bill base and eye
• Some older individuals develop increasing white at the base of the tail and around the face with age
• Juveniles closely resemble adults, generally lacking the whiter facial and tail-base feathering of older birds

Black-footed Albatrosses breed on low sandy islands and atolls of the North Pacific, primarily in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, often nesting near or among Laysan Albatross colonies. Outside the breeding season they range widely over the North Pacific, including regular occurrence off the west coast of North America.

This albatross forages for squid, fish eggs, and other surface prey, often following fishing vessels to scavenge discarded catch. It nests in the open on sandy or sparsely vegetated ground, laying a single egg, and engages in elaborate mutual courtship displays similar to those of the Laysan Albatross. Vocalizations include moans, whistles, and bill-clacking sounds given during these displays.