One of the most unique and graceful seabirds in the world — and it’s also the only albatross species that lives and breeds in the tropics. Found almost entirely on Española Island in the Galápagos Islands, this rare bird is known for its long-distance flights, striking appearance, and quirky courtship rituals. Its name comes from the soft wave-like pattern on its cream-colored feathers, which contrasts beautifully with its white head, long yellow bill, and dark brown wings. With a wingspan of up to 8 feet (about 2.5 meters), the waved albatross is built for gliding effortlessly over open ocean waters for days or weeks.

What makes the waved albatross especially fascinating is its unusual breeding behavior. These birds return to Española Island each year to find their mate — often the same one for life — and perform a courtship dance that’s both hilarious and heartwarming. Their dance includes synchronized bill clacking, head bobbing, sky-pointing, and waddling around each other in a silly and elegant display. Once a pair re-bonds, they’ll lay a single egg, which both parents take turns incubating for over two months. After hatching, the chick is cared for for several more months before it’s ready to fledge and head out to sea.

Waved albatrosses are expert flyers, using air currents above the ocean to soar with barely a flap of their wings. They cover thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean, mostly around the coast of South America, searching for squid, fish, and other sea creatures near the water’s surface. Despite their clumsy movements on land, in the air they are perfectly at home. These long flights are necessary because they must travel far from their small nesting grounds to find enough food, making them vulnerable to threats along their migration paths.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Chile

2018

Non-Breeding

Colombia

2018

Passage

Ecuador

2018

Breeding: Galápagos

Panama

2018

Non-Breeding

Peru

2018