You could be a bird researcher, out in the wild, trekking with your mates. Suddenly you hear loud wails and squawks, and upon looking up, you discover a large flight of birds gliding across the sky. You and friends debate about the birds being either albatross or seagull. Being a bird researcher, you should know more than a thing-or-two about these two birds, right?
This article will help you do just that. Here you will find an in-depth insight about the lifestyle and habits of albatross vs seagull. Never again will you be confused about identifying these two avians. Hop aboard this sensational ride and get ready for some breathtaking discoveries!
Contents
An Overview Of Albatross And Seagull
Albatross birds belong to the Order Procellariiformes and family Diomedeidae, and are related to the petrel birds. Soaring and gliding are the daily habits of these birds and this is mainly because of their habitat and diet. They live in the coastal areas mainly and are abundant around the North Pacific, hunting for fish and squids. They are mostly black, white and brown in looks.
Source: @cornforthimages
Gulls, also known as seagulls, and affectionately called ‘mews’, are members of a different order of aves known as Charadriiformes, and family Laridae. They are related to terns and waders. They appear to be white, black and brown too, and are mainly found around the Arctic and the Antarctic. Mollusks, small birds and fish are their favorite food.
Source: @arianejechow
Similarities Between Seagull And Albatross
Seagulls and albatrosses are quite similar to each other, especially in looks. They both possess black and white plumage, with brown present in certain species, and are mostly seen soaring or gliding around their preferred habitats.
And it goes without saying, both the avians are quite intelligent. Albatrosses spot vessels on the sea and fly very close to examine what is inside. Seagulls are known to crack open shells and nuts by hitting them against rocks.
These two birds also share similar habitat and dietary preferences. They live close to large water bodies and forage on fish and other water-dwelling invertebrates. Additionally, they both have webbed feet and duck-like bills.
Albatross vs Seagull: Differences At-A-Glance
Nothing helps more than a summarized table of differences. Below is given one such table for better clarity of understanding.
| Features | Albatross | Seagull |
| Species | 22 species, 4 genera | 55 species, 10 genera |
| Habitat | Southern ocean, high altitudes, open forests, are usually at flight | Freshwater habitats, coastal and inland areas, do not venture out to sea frequently |
| Size | 31 to 51 inches long | 11.5 to 30 inches long |
| Plumage | White, black, brown | White and gray, black markings on the head |
| Feet | 4 toes, 3 webbed, 1 separate | 3 toes, all webbed |
| Beak, Diet and Feeding | Larger bill, sharper, pointier, strictly carnivores | Smaller bill, less sharp, omnivores |
| Hunting Tactics | Uses their sharp sense of smell, besides other tactics | Quite aggressive and competitive, throws mussels and nuts against hard surfaces to crack them open |
| Reproduction | 1 egg is laid only, white with brown spots | 3 eggs per clutch, dark tan, olive or brown with splotches |
| Behavior and Adaptation | Shoulder-lock mechanism, heartbeat stays the same at flight and at rest | Unhinged jaws to swallow prey whole |
| Vocalization | Wide variety of noises | Wail, squawk, whistle |
All About Albatross
Let’s start with albatross. They are white and black, with hooked bills, long necks, and webbed feet. Wait! So are seagulls! So how do you tell them apart? Keep reading to find out.
Species
Albatrosses have a total of 4 genera and 22 species in their family Diomedeidae. The 4 genera are firstly ‘Diomedea’ that contains the great albatrosses, secondly ‘Thalassarche’ that has the mollymawks, thirdly ‘Phoebastria’ consisting of the North Pacific albatrosses, and finally ‘Phoebetria’ that contains the sooty albatross which flaunt a slightly different plumage color.
Habitat And Range
Albatrosses are birds of the southern oceans mainly, and usually cannot be found in the North Atlantic ocean. They are commonly spotted in Antarctica, Australia, South Africa and South America. However, exceptions always exist. Some albatrosses, like the Laysans, can be spotted in the North Pacific, while some, like the Waved albatross, breed only in the Galapagos Islands.
Source: @nick_peker
Some wonder why these birds are confined in the higher latitudes only and this is because they need the wind to fly. These avians are colonial and like to nest on isolated islands. They also find their homes around exposed highlands and beneath trees in open forests. Albatross are birds of flight and barely stay on the ground.
Size
Albatrosses are considered as one of the largest birds-of-flight in the world because of their size and wingspan. These birds are 31 to 51 inches long, weighing about 8 to 10 kg. Their wingspan, depending on species, could vary between 5.7 to 12 feet. Royal albatross and Wandering albatross have a wingspan that exceeds 11 feet!
Plumage
Albatross are mainly black and white birds, with occasional brown plumage in some species. Their upper wings and backs are usually dark, while their undersides are white. Exceptions include the Southern Royal albatross that is completely white, the Amsterdam albatross that has brown coloration on the back, and the Sooty albatross which has full dark brown plumes.
North Pacific albatrosses boast face markings like gray or yellow spots on the head or nape, or eye patches. Albatrosses have wedge-shaped tails that are tinged with a dark coloration.
Feet
Albatrosses have 3 toes on their feet, and they are completely webbed. They do not have any small or similar-sized 4th toe or hind toe. The legs of these birds are quite strong and are well adapted to allow them to wade and walk about effortlessly on land.
Source: @juandraperwildlife
Beak, Diet And Feeding Habits
Albatrosses have long, sharp and pointed bills, with the upper mandible overhanging the lower one. Their bills are much larger than those of gulls. The bill is edged with horny plates and there are two tubes on the sides of their nostrils that help the bird during flight. Their beaks are pink in appearance and the knife-like sharpness of the bill allows them to tackle prey easily.
Squid, fish, cephalopods, crustaceans and zooplankton are food items that albatross silage. They also scavenge for carrion and organ meat. However, the Black-footed albatross eats only fish, and the Laysan albatross eats only squids. Albatrosses are strictly carnivores.
Hunting Tactics
Most birds use their powerful eyesight to hunt for their prey whereas albatross use their strong sensation of smell that can pick up odors from 20 miles away. They are surface-feeders too and they like to pluck their choice of prey from the water surface that have been pushed up by other predators or waves. These ruthless avians do not shy away from kleptoparasitism either where they shamelessly steal food from booby birds.
Other than surface-seizing, they also dive underneath the water for catching their prey, and an example of albatross that does that is the Light-mantled albatross. Albatrosses air-dive too where they plunge into the water straight out of fight to catch their prey red-handed.
Source: @packs_and_cams
Reproduction, Nest, And Clutch Size
Albatrosses are known for their monogamous nature where a pair may last for several years to a lifetime. They lay sub-elliptical eggs that are usually white with reddish brown spots, and weigh between 200 to 510 gm. Only one egg is laid per breeding attempt and if the egg breaks for any reason, a second attempt is not made until the next year.
Nests of albatrosses are super large, about 3 feet in diameter, and are made on the ground. The parents build the nests using grass, peat, shrubs, and even penguin feathers. A very interesting exception is the Waved albatross that makes no nests and moves around with the egg held in its beak!
Albatrosses nest and lay eggs in remote islands. The breeding season lasts for a year, and the bringing up process of the chick also takes about a year. It is not necessary in the world of albatrosses to breed every year — sometimes years go by and these birds go without mating and laying eggs.
Both the parents incubate the eggs with the incubation period lasting for 70 to 80 days. Parents guard their nestlings for 3 weeks, alternately foraging for their young ones. Chicks take 140 to 280 days to fledge, though this may vary with different species of albatrosses.
Source: @urs_h_wildlifephotography
Behavior And Adaptations
Albatrosses are colonial birds with several species nesting together. They are quite loyal and stay with their mating, nesting and foraging partners for years — sometimes for a lifetime.
These birds have some remarkable adaptations that have helped them to fly and forage effectively, and thus survive the atrocities of evolution. They have enlarged nasal glands at the base of their bill, situated right above their eyes, that forcibly remove salt from the briny water that they accidentally ingest while swallowing fish.
Additionally, these birds possess a sheet of tendon that acts as a shoulder-lock mechanism. It locks the wings in place when they are fully extended. In this way the wings stay outstretched without the bird having to utilize muscle power. This adaptation helps them to hover or soar without needing to flap their wings.
Another amazing fact about these avians is that the rate of their heartbeat during flights stays the same as their heartbeat rate while at rest— such is the power of their adaptation. The energy saved is used for landing, take-offs and foraging. And it goes without saying that their plumage color serves as an effective camouflaging instrument.
Flight
Albatrosses are popular for their capability to fly relentlessly without using excessive muscle power. Their wings are cambered with thickened edges that strengthen its structure. They use two techniques for flying — dynamic soaring and slope soaring.
In dynamic soaring technique, the birds go up and down repeatedly, thus gaining energy from the vertical wind gradient. This maneuver allows the bird to cover large distances without flapping its wings. In the slope soaring technique, the birds use air currents from large waves to rise up to higher altitudes and soar.
There are tubes on the sides of their nostrils that help them measure the exact airspeed in flight. These tubes resemble flight tubes in modern aircrafts. Without accurate measurements of the airspeed, dynamic soaring will be hampered.
Vocalizations
Albatrosses can produce all sorts of bird noises. They bray, moo, whine, grunt, growl, squeal and screech. Braying sounds are heard mostly during courtship displays.
All About Seagull
The more you know about seagulls, the better. Only then will you be able to tell seagulls apart from albatrosses, because, let’s face it, they are identical. Below is given plenty of information to help you in this matter.
Species
Seagulls have 10 different genera consisting of 55 different species. Among these species, Herring gulls, bearing the scientific name of Larus argentatus, are the most common in America. Apart from Herring gulls, there are over dozens of other species of seagulls that are commonly sighted in North America, like the Mew gull, Ross’s gull and Ivory gull.
Source: @happyseagullphotography
Habitat And Range
Unlike albatross that spends most of its time flying over large water bodies, seagulls rarely venture far out to sea. While albatrosses like to live a vagabond, gypsy-like lifestyle, seagulls prefer settling in the coastal and inland areas. These seabirds can be found everywhere including the Arctic and the margins of Antarctica, but they usually avoid the tropical islands.
Seagulls also prefer terrestrial and freshwater habitats. They are called urban birds because they can frequently be sighted in coastal cities. American seagulls migrate to South America, whereas European gulls fly off to Africa and the Middle East in search of food and warmer conditions.
Size
Seagulls are much smaller than albatrosses, with a 11.5 to 30 inches long body, weighing about 120 gm to 1.75 kg. Their necks and wings are long and narrow. The wingspan of these birds is about 35 to 40 inches, tip to tip. Great black-backed seagulls, however, may have longer wingspans ranging between 59 to 66 inches.
Plumage
Seagulls are mainly gray or white birds, flaunting black markings on the heads. The tips of the wings are usually black, with white patterns. The head of seagulls could be tinged in black or could be completely white, depending on the species and breeding season.
The shape of different species could vary – most have rounded tail-tips, except for Sabine’s gull and Swallow-tailed gulls which have forked tail-tips.
Feet
Seagulls have 4 toes, compared to the 3 toes of albatross. Three front toes are fully webbed, whereas the fourth one is very tiny, lies at the opposite side of the foot, and is not webbed with the other three toes. These webbed feet allow the birds to swim and wade.
Source: @_stillisa_
Beak, Diet And Feeding Habits
Seagulls are omnivores and will eat about everything including flesh of other animals, seeds, and even scavenge on human refuse. Their bills are smaller and shorter than those of albatross, however they have a heavy build and are hooked. Larger seagulls have stronger bills. Some species of gulls have yellow bills with a red spot, while others have black or red spots.
They feed on crustaceans, mollusks, small birds, fish, freshwater invertebrates, already dead animals, insects, earthworms, rodents, and eggs. As they are omnivores so they occasionally opt for seeds, fruits, and even human refuse. These birds will also bite off pieces of flesh from the bodies of living whales. They are opportunistic feeders — will eat anything to survive.
Hunting Tactics
Seagulls are aggressive and will do anything within their power to forage for food and stay alive.
They catch insects while flying and keep a keen eye on prey rising to the water surface so that they could snatch the prey away in their beak. Herring gull uses bread as a bait to catch fish
These birds will not mind diving into the water to catch prey. They have webbed feet that allow them to dive quite deep in search of prey. Smaller species of gulls use a tactic called hover-dip where they swim in tight circles and foot paddle to bring fish to the surface of the water.
Seagulls are famous for throwing shells, clams, and mussels on the ground to crack them open so that the yummy flesh within could be enjoyed. Seagulls, like albatross, practice kleptoparasitism too, their accomplices being whales or dolphins.
Reproduction, Nest, And Clutch Size
Like albatrosses, seagulls are monogamous. They are not only loyal to their partners but are also committed to their nesting site and nesting community. They breed once a year.
Seagulls begin to assemble around their nesting sites long before nesting even starts. They build their nests, amidst a large and densely-packed colony, with herbaceous matter. The nests are usually made on the ground, but some species choose to nest on cliffs and on trees. Gulls that nest in marshy areas build a higher platform first to prevent the nest from getting soaked.
Gulls usually lay 3 eggs per clutch but certain species, like the Swallow-tailed gull, lay only one egg. The eggs are dark tan, olive or brown, with splotches and scrawlings on them. Both parents incubate the eggs for 22 to 26 days. Chicks are never left unattended by their parents.
Source: @huke_robert
Behavior And Adaptations
Seagulls are inquisitive and resourceful which show that they are highly intelligent birds. These birds live in flocks that could be as large as a couple hundreds to thousands of gulls nesting or flying together. They attack and harass predators in flocks. In nesting grounds, the parent pairs act territorial and would not allow any bird to enter within a 5-meter radius.
Seagulls have jaw-dropping adaptations that have made them such ruthless predators. For one thing, they possess unhinged jaws that permit them to swallow prey whole. Like albatrosses, they possess exocrine glands that are located in the supraorbital orifices of the skull. These glands remove the salty water through the nostrils and maintain an electrolyte balance.
Flight
Like albatrosses, seagulls fly large distances too. In America, the gulls fly over to South America to spend their winters. They use air currents to glide, hover and soar.
Vocalizations
Seagulls make wailing, squawking, and whistling noises.
FAQ
Bird enthusiasts pose endless questions about the lookalikes– albatross and seagull. They are almost identical and one must know more to tell them apart. These FAQ’s will provide you with more in-depth information about these two unrelated twins.
Q: What is the mating ritual of albatross and seagull like?
Ans: Albatrosses literally have ritualized dances during their mating session. They commit to a synchronistic pattern of activities such as preening, pointing, calling, and bill clacking.
Also, the male and the female dance awkwardly around each other, wings outstretched, bowing and clattering their bills. At the end of the performance, they scream, pointing their bills at the sky. Seagulls lean forward with their heads down, display their wings, and make noisy calls.
Q: Are any albatross and seagull species endangered?
Ans: 21 out of 22 species of albatross are in some level of endangerment. The Waved and Tristan albatrosses are critically endangered, for instance. Illegal trade for their feathers and other body parts is the number one reason behind a decline in their population. Seagulls are hunted for meat and eggs,and aso for their feathers. Rats and feral cats attack these birds also.
Additionally, longline fishing technique is another threat to these birds. The birds’ feathers get caught in the fishing gear and they drown. Overfishing and plastic garbage are more reasons.
The authorities are looking forward to using more bird-friendly fishing gear, and reducing plastic garbage disposal to create an environment where these species can thrive again.
Q: How long do albatross and seagull live?
Ans: Both albatross and gulls can live for around 50 years.
Q: What are some beliefs that surround albatross and seagull?
Ans: Albatrosses are called ‘diomedeidae’, where ‘dios’ means ‘divine’ and ‘medeios’ means ‘mediator’. In literature, albatross has been mentioned in the poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, where the mariner had to wear a dead albatross around his neck as a penalty for killing it. Since this poem, sailors do not shoot albatrosses because they believe doing so will bring bad luck.
Indigenous Maoris used the albatross wing bones to carve out flutes. Hawaiian mythology calls them ‘aumakua’ which translates to ‘sacred manifestation of the ancestors’.
Seagulls are considered as messengers of gods and are thought to symbolize freedom.
Thoughts
Albatross vs seagull — when these avians fly off in flocks across the blue sky, telling them apart seems like an impossible task. Whether you are a nature lover, a scientist, or a bird enthusiast, you must know the differences between these two birds so that you can tell them apart.
For one thing– these two birds do not even belong to the same order of birds. That means they are not even close cousins. But nature is well-known to play cruel mind-tricks and has set yet another puzzle for us to decipher. Looking at the length of their body, their bill size and their feet will do the trick. So keep cracking the codes of nature and keep discovering.
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