Wandering albatross pair, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
© David Tipling Photo Library/Alam
Flocking together in the Antarctic
These birds are a few days late for Valentine's Day, but they look like they're in the mood for love. Wandering albatrosses (also known as snowy albatrosses, white-winged albatrosses, or goonies) live mostly on the open ocean but come on land for mating season. A salt gland on the top of their nasal passages allows them to desalinate and survive drinking only saltwater as they feed on small marine animals. They can float on the sea surface and glide for hours.
The birds are seen here in South Georgia, a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The British territory has no permanent residents, but is visited by yachts and cruise ships, as tourists come to fish or observe the unique wildlife.
Related Images
Two mute swan chicks shelter under mom's tail feathers at Massapequa Preserve, Long Island, New York
Sandhill cranes and mallard ducks, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Male Atlantic puffin gives his mate nesting material, Skomer Island, Wales
Trumpeter swans at Kelly Warm Springs, near Kelly, Wyoming
Male king eider ducks swimming in Troms og Finnmark, Norway
Southern rockhopper penguins on the Falkland Islands
Mute swan in Valkenhorst Nature Reserve, near Valkenswaard, the Netherlands
Northern gannets on Great Saltee Island, Ireland
Bing Today Images
European river otter, Lelystad, Netherlands
Feb 19, 2025
Toledo, Spain
Feb 19, 2024
Humpback whales, Maui, Hawaii
Feb 19, 2023
A frozen lake in Banff National Park
Feb 19, 2022
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taipei, Taiwan
Feb 19, 2019
Snowboarder makes powder turn in backcountry terrain
Feb 19, 2016
