Laysan Albatross

Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) is a white-headed albatross with dark upperwings, a dark patch around the eye and a long pale bill. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It forages across the North Pacific for squid, fish and other marine prey, returning to island colonies where pairs renew bonds through elaborate and highly coordinated courtship displays. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).