Epic flight: Round the world in 46 days

ALBATROSSES regularly make epic round-the-world flights when they are not busy breeding, scientists revealed yesterday.

One bird tracked by researchers took just 46 days to travel a minimum distance of 22,000 kilometres.

The study by the British Antarctic Survey is the first to show where grey-headed albatrosses go during the 18 months between breeding seasons.

Scientists attached geo-locator devices to the legs of 22 albatrosses so they could continually follow their movements.

They found that most birds travelled from their breeding site on the island of South Georgia in the Southern Ocean to areas of the south-west Indian Ocean.

More than half then made astonishing round-the-world journeys, and three birds actually circumnavigated the globe twice.

The researchers were surprised to find that the albatrosses travelled so far.

They hope their findings, published today in the journal Science, will help reduce the unnecessary slaughter of albatrosses by long-line fishing.

Professor John Croxall, who led the study, said: "By understanding where these birds go when they're not breeding, we can brief governments and fisheries commissions to impose much stricter measures capable of reducing the number of birds killed by 75%-95%, depending on the type of fishery.

"Knowing where the albatrosses will interact with fishing vessels provides governments and fisheries commissions with accurate information to stop the killing of these charismatic birds.

The albatross made famous in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is one of the world's most threatened birds.