Albatoss

An Albatoss is a red bird found in the game 'Super Mario Bros. 2. The birds often drop Bob-ombs on Mario and his allies, making passage through the levels of Subcon difficult. If an Albatoss flies low enough, Mario and his friends can jump on its back and ride on top of the bird. In fact, this technique is needed to clear Level 6-2. Unlike many other enemies in Super Mario Bros. 2, Albatosses cannot be picked up and thrown.

Albatosses used to be normal residents of Subcon until the maniacal Wart seized power. The frog king ordered the red birds to be part of his military. Albatosses were trained to carry Bob-ombs and drop them on people who would make life trouble for their new dictator.

In the SNES remake of Super Mario Bros 3., the King of Sky Land is turned into an Albatoss (in the original version, he is turned into a generic vulture).

The name “Albatoss” is portmanteau of the words “albatross” and “toss”.

In Japan, an Albatoss is called a Tondoru.