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 most of the 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 toad king ordered the red birds to be part of his military. Albatosses were trained to carry Bob-ombs and drop them on civillians who would make life trouble for the new dictator.

In the SNES and Game Boy Advance remakes 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).

Appearances In Other Media
Albatosses made a few appearances in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. They were usually used as bombers by King Koopa and they sometimes captured Mario and company in nets. Albatosses were also seen in the show's intro.

One Albatoss, Hooded Robin, was the only enemy in the show who was actually nice to Mario and Co. This Albatoss also had a knack for mimicking others' voices to trick his enemies.

Trivia
The name "Albatoss" is portmanteau of the words "albatross" and "toss". In Japan, Albatosses are called Tondorus.