Where does this come from, and can I check it?

It can glide for hours using little energy by riding wind across waves. The figure is taken from British Antarctic Survey, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a animals fact?

Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

A wandering albatross spans 3.5 metres

It can glide for hours using little energy by riding wind across waves The birds climb in the wind shear above the sea and trade height for distance, then repeat. Tagged albatrosses cover hundreds of kilometres a day without landing. They breed on remote southern islands and return to the same partner. It sits in Mondo's animals collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

British Antarctic Survey

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Nature & Animals trivia

More facts like this

Draco lizards glide through rainforest canopy using elongated ribsUnfolding wing-like membranes let Draco lizards glide eighty metres.Many bird bones are hollow and struttedInternal braces keep them stiff while saving weight for flight A bat's wing is skin stretched over fingersThe finger bones are elongated and the membrane between them is flexible leather Bats are the only mammals capable of true sustained flightWing membranes stretched over elongated finger bones enable bat flight.Wandering albatrosses can fly thousands of miles without flappingAlbatrosses exploit ocean wind shear gradients using dynamic soaring.Common swifts can stay airborne for ten months continuouslySwifts feed, mate, and sleep in mid-air without landing on ground.

Tags: seabirds, flight, gliding

A wandering albatross spans 3.5 metres: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: It can glide for hours using little energy by riding wind across waves. The figure is taken from British Antarctic Survey, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?: Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.