The black-browed albatross is the most frequently encountered of the family. This bird is native to the Southern Oceans, with 70% of the world’s population breeding on the Falkland Islands. South Georgia, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean is another popular breeding spot. There are estimated to be 1.4 million mature black-browed albatrosses in the world.

Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) said: The worst sins are three: Labouring animals as murder, restraining the dower of a woman, and withholding the wage of a worker.

There are 22 species of albatross. Perhaps the most well-known member of the albatross family is the wandering albatross, also known as the snowy albatross. This feathered giant has the largest wingspan of any bird on the planet – a whopping 3.5m. It breeds mostly on islands just to the north of the Antarctic Circle, but ranges across the entire Southern Ocean.

Imam Ali (PBUH) said: Do not make the dowry of women heavy, because it creates enmity.

Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) said: Verily, one of the blessings of a woman is the inexpensiveness of her dower, while one of her bad omens is the heaviness of her dower.

Females lay one egg at a time, and parents will take it in turns to incubate the egg while the other hunts for food. Fledgling albatrosses take a long time to grow and reach maturity. Depending on the species they can spend five to 10 years at sea before they are ready to return to land to mate.

Their Latin name, Diomedea, was coined by Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy. It refers to the ancient Greek legend of Diomedes, a warrior whose companions were transformed into…
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The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: He who tries to join two Muslim believers in lawful marriage so that they marry under the divine law, Allah will join one thousand Houries (damsels of Heaven with black large eyes) in marriage with him each of whom will be in a castle from pearls and rubies.

As adults, they spend years out on the open ocean, flying for thousands of miles. They can cover almost 1,000km a day without flapping their wings, and have been known to travel 16,000km in a single foraging trip.

When they are ready to breed they return to the same colony, often found on some of the world’s most remote islands. They commonly mate for life, although divorce amongst albatrosses is becoming increasingly common, possibly due to climate change.

Albatrosses are birds that spend most of their lives at sea, soaring over the oceans hunting for fish, before returning to their breeding grounds on isolated islands. Members of the biological family Diomedeidae, these colossal birds have giant wingspans, exceeding three meters in some cases. They are truly masters of the sea, using their strong wings to ride thermal currents, and soaring above the waves with little exertion.

Imam al-Kadhim (PBUH) said: On the Reckoning Day, Allah has a special shade of Mercy to spread under which none will reside except the prophets, or their vicegerents, or a believer who frees a believing slave, or a believer who pays the debt of another believing one, or a believer who unites in wedlock a believing unmarried one.

Albatrosses listen to low frequencies of sound called infrasound to help them navigate when they at sea. The sound, which is typically inaudible to humans, is produced when waves crash together or against coastlines.

Adult albatrosses are renowned for their intricate courtship dance displays which they practice for years to perfect. Wandering albatross pairs, for example, break out a series of at least 22 distinct dance moves, including head rolling, wing spreading, and…
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A single wandering albatross can fly the equivalent of 10 times to the moon and back over their lifetime.

The world’s oldest living albatross is Wisdom, a Laysan albatross who is over 74 years old. Over her lifetime she has produced over 50 eggs.

Albatrosses are one of the few animals able to drink seawater. They have evolved salt glands behind their eyes that filter out excess salt from their blood.