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