0 the sooty albatross , dark-mantled sooty albatross or dark-mantled albatross , phoebetria fusca , is a species of bird in the albatross family .
1   they breed on sub-antarctic islands and range at sea across the southern ocean from south america to australia .
2 sooty albatrosses are a type of albatross that belong to diomedeidae family and come from the procellariiformes order , along with shearwaters , fulmars , storm-petrels , and diving-petrels .
3  they share certain identifying features .
4  first , they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns .
5  although the nostrils on the albatross are on the sides of the bill .
6  the bills of procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between 7 and 9 horny plates .
7  finally , they produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus .
8  this is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights .
9  they also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies , due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe .
10  it excretes a high saline solution from their nose .
11 the sooty albatross is a medium-sized albatross and measures about 85 cm (33 in), with a 2 m (6.6 ft) wingspan .
12  adult body mass ranges from 2.1 to 3.4 kg (4.6 to 7.5 lb) .
13  it is sooty-brown with darker shading on the sides of its head .
14  it has a white crescent above and behind its eye .
15  its bill is black with an orange or yellow sulcus .
16  the tail of this albatross is wide diamond-shaped .
17  juveniles are similar to adults , although they can have paler feathers on the nape and upper back , possibly creating confusion with light-mantled albatross .
