Michael Essinger Jr., age 11, of Chester, Pa., for his question:

HOW LARGE IS AN ALBATROSS?

Albatross is the name of a large sea bird that has large webbea feet and extremely long wings. Most of the 14 species can be found in the South Pacific, although some are in the North Pacific and a few in the Atlantic area.

Largest of all sea birds is the wandering albatross. It has a wingspread of about 12 feet. The smallest is the black footed albatross that has wings measuring about 6 1/2 feet across.

An albatross will seldom flap its wings. It will usually glide into or with the wind on outstretched wings.

An albatross must run a good distance if it is on land and wants to get into the air. It must have a good ground speed before it can take off. When the wind is whipping up the waves, an albatross will often alight on the water's surface. It must then launch itself into the wind from the crest of a wave or merely by spreading its wings.