Far out over the southern sea, thousands of miles from the nearest land,
a great, graceful bird soars in the sky. The bird is a wandering
albatross [(al]{.smallcaps} buh traws). It has the longest wings of any
bird in the world. From tip to tip, its spread wings are nearly twice as
long as a tall person’s body! On these long, slender wings, the
albatross can glide and soar above the tossing water for hours without
resting.
When the albatross must rest, it glides down to the water, folds its
wings, and floats upon the sea. When it is hungry, it eats floating dead
creatures, as well as fish and squid that swim near the surface. When it
is thirsty, it drinks seawater. Like most sea birds, it has a special
part in its bill that takes the salt out of the water.
The sea is the albatross’s true home. Only once every two years will it
go onto land. There, it finds a mate and helps to hatch an egg. Then it
goes back to the skies over the open sea.
Wings over the water
Fulmars, petrels, and shearwaters are other birds that make the sea
their home. Most of these birds get their food as albatrosses do. But
some, such as diving petrels, dive into the sea to capture their food.
Storm petrels, also called stormy petrels, are the tiniest of all sea
birds. They are only about six inches (15 centimeters) long. Scarcely
able to walk on land, they spend months at sea. They often fly so close
to the sea’s surface that they touch it with their feet—and seem to be
walking on the water.
The birds called gannets and boobies spend a lot of time over and on the
sea. But they seldom go far from land. They catch fish by diving at
terrific speed from high in the air. They hit the water with a smack
that sends up a high splash. These birds swallow then* fish underwater,
instead of bringing them up to eat as most birds do.
Sea birds such as cormorants, pelicans and frigate birds get their food
from the sea but live on land. For some of them, the sea is a dangerous
place. A frigate bird will swoop close to the water to catch a flying
fish in midair, but it dares not land on the water. If it does, it will
die, for it cannot get into the air again.
The bird most people think of as a sea bird is the one often called a
sea gull. Some kinds of gulls do live near the sea, and get food from
the sea, but they never fly far from land. Sailors know they’re near
land when they see gulls soaring overhead. So, for sailors, gulls are a
sign of land rather than of the sea.
Storm petrels often fly so close to the sea their feet touch it. Then,
they look as if they are walking on the water.
