Page 6 - Animals of the Sakhalin Region in myths and legends
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Albatross white-backed
(Phoebastria albatrus)
When adult it has white plumage, with the exception of dark brown wings and
tail. The dorsal, shoulder and lower part of the wings are white. Young birds are
generally dark brown. A yellowish coating is visible on the head and neck. The
beak is coral-pink, at the tip it has got a light blue tint. The feet are also bluish.
Wing length is 47–58 cm.
It feeds on squid, fish, crustaceans, and on occasion food waste from ships and
waste from sea fishing.
Breeds on small islands lying to the south of the large islands of Japan between
24 and 300 N, and the area of sea travels occupies the northern sector of the Pacific
Ocean lying north of the trade wind zone, including the Far Eastern seas of Russia.
In the waters of the Sakhalin Region it can be spotted mainly in the summer-autumn
period; apart from the breeding season, it roams both in deep-water and shelf areas.
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