albatross

n. large sea bird

Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific. They are absent from the North Atlantic, although fossil remains show they once occurred there too and occasional vagrants turn up. Albatrosses are amongst the largest of flying birds, and the great albatrosses (genus Diomedea) have the largest wingspans of any extant birds. The albatrosses are usually regarded as falling into four genera, but there is disagreement over the number of species.
See more at Wikipedia.org...

Noun
1. (figurative) something that hinders or handicaps; "she was an albatross around his neck"
(synonym) millstone
(hypernym) hindrance, deterrent, impediment, balk, baulk, check, handicap
2. large web-footed birds of the southern hemisphere having long narrow wings; noted for powerful gliding flight
(synonym) mollymawk
(hypernym) pelagic bird, oceanic bird
(hyponym) wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans
(member-holonym) Diomedeidae, family Diomedeidae

(n.)
A web-footed bird, of the genus Diomedea, of which there are several species. They are the largest of sea birds, capable of long-continued flight, and are often seen at great distances from the land. They are found chiefly in the southern hemisphere.
  

Albatross Large sea bird, found chiefly in the southern oceans and northern Pacific, which has extraordinary powers of flight. It is said to have magical properties, such as bringing continued bad weather if it hovers around a ship or bad luck if killed. {SD 1:362}