Giant albatross spotted at Brora

A giant albatross has been spotted off the Sutherland coast.

The Rare Bird Alert said the species was seen flying past Brora on Sunday.

A spokesman said: "It's a very rare bird for this country. The total number of sightings is very small.”

"It was seen by a couple of people but they could not make out the exact species. It was most likely a black-browed albatross, but it was too far away to be sure."

Although they are the most widespread and common albatross, the black-browed species is on the endangered list primarily due to fishing.

The average black-browed albatross lives for up to 70 years.

In 2016 two were recorded in the North Sea.

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