Study: Island albatross separate species

LETHBRIDGE, Alberta, March 21 (UPI) -- Canadian scientists say they've confirmed the world's most rare albatross, with just 170 birds living on an island in the Indian Ocean, is a separate species.

Researchers at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta say the DNA of the Amsterdam albatross is different from that of the wandering albatross, its closest relative, the BBC reported Monday.

The surviving birds all live on Amsterdam Island, a French territory in the Indian Ocean, and can weigh 18 pounds with a wingspan of more than 11 feet.

The birds, which breed on a single plateau on the island, were discovered in 1983 but there has been considerable debate as to whether they were a distinct species.

Researchers say the birds differ in appearance from the closely related wandering albatrosses.

"They are slightly smaller in size," Lethbridge researcher Theresa Burg said. "They lay their eggs at a different time and have slightly browner plumage than the other wandering albatrosses."

DNA analysis showed that Amsterdam albatrosses separated from their cousins and evolved into a genetically distinct species about 265,000 years ago.

Scientists hope efforts to conserve the critically endangered species will increase now that they have been recognized as unique.

"This is one additional, but important, piece of evidence that hopefully can help protect the remaining Amsterdam albatrosses," Burg said.