One of the birds with the longest wingspan in the world; the span of its stretched wings is 3.5 metres, with these the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) can glide in the air for an amazingly long time: it often covers several thousand kilometres in one flight. It spends a longer period on shore only during the breeding and the feeding of the chicks; it can be observed only in this period. At the same time, this is the most trying period of the bird. Brooding and feeding the chick is an enormous challenge to parents. From human perspective, wandering albatrosses are paragons of parental sacrifice and eternal faithfulness. However, these noble qualities are attributed to them only by human sense. In reality these beautiful birds would not be able to survive if the pairs did not cooperate in brooding and feeding the offspring. They need to cooperate because the conditions are harsh and the appetite of the chick is enormous. By evolving into such huge birds during evolution, wandering albatrosses condemned themselves to bringing up huge offspring. Because of this they are forced to bring up only one chick every two years.

The chick weighs 80 grams upon hatching and starts demanding food immediately. It should increase its weight hundredfold to become a fledging chick weighing 8 kilograms, therefore it requires a tremendous amount of food. After a few months the small youngling is three times as large as its father and looks like a 1-m high, 35-kg skittle sitting in a nest with an ever-open, hungry bill placed on its head.
Source: http://www.sulinet.hu/tart/ncikk/jc/0/24385/vandoralbatrosz.htm