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A member of the Wandering Albatross complex
- Diomedea dabbenena
Identification
Similar species
Snowy Albatross is larger with a longer bill, and longer wings that usually looks less dark; however separation in the field usually not possible.
Separation from Antipodean Albatross also not easy, but in most plumages have a darker appearance due to mix of dark and white spots.
Amsterdam Albatross very similar to juveniles of this species but separated by black cutting edge and darker tip of bill.
Distribution
Breeding on Gough Island and occasionally Inaccessible Island; in the past also bred on Tristan da Cunha. At sea, it seems concentrated on the southern Atlantic but in non-breeding spreads east to southern Indian Ocean and less commonly to Australian waters.
Taxonomy
The former Wandering Albatross complex is today split into four species:
- Snowy Albatross (D. exulans) breeds on South Georgia, Prince Edward, Marion, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, McDonald and Macquire islands
- Tristan Albatross (D. dabbenena) breeds on Inaccessible and Gough Islands (formerly also Tristan da Cunha)
- Antipodean Albatross (D. antipodensis) breeds on Antipodes and Campbell islands; this form includes (D. a. gibsoni) from the Auckland Islands
- Amsterdam Albatross (D. amsterdamensis) from the Amsterdam Island
Subspecies
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Outside of breeding seems to be at sea far from the coast. Breeding happens in wet heath areas from 300-700 m asl.
Behaviour
Feeds on squid and fish, possibly also crabs and crayfish. Will seek out fishing boats to eat offal.
Eggs are layed early January, with chicks fledging 12-13 months later. Adults with successful breeding will use a year to recuperate before next attempt.
Vocalisation
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- del Hoyo, J., C. Carboneras, F. Jutglar, N. Collar, G. M. Kirwan, and E. F. J. Garcia (2023). Tristan Albatross (Diomedea dabbenena), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (F. Medrano and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.wanalb3.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Tristan Albatross. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Tristan_Albatross
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
