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Identification
Adult: back greyish-black, palest on mantle, upperwing brownish-black with pale primary shafts, rump white, tail grey. Head white with dark eyebrow, underparts white. Underwing has black tip, black trailing edge, narrowest on innerwing and broad black leading edge forming a dark wedge midway along inner wing. Iris brown, bill yellow to bright orange with narrow black line at base, legs bluish-white.
Immature: juvenile as adult but has grey nape and breast-band and variable underwing usually a duller version of adult. Bill horn-coloured or grey with dark culmen and tip. Subadult has whiter head and fainter breast-band, bill dull yellow with dark tip and underwing more like adult.
Length 79–93 cm (31-36¾ in). Wingspan 240cm
Similar Species
Adult distinguished from Grey-headed Albatross by yellow bill, whiter head with dark eyebrow, and broader dark leading edge to underwing and from both Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross and Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross by yellow bill and underwing pattern.
Distribution
The most numerous, widespread and most-frequently encountered albatross.
Circumpolar in Southern Oceans. Breeds on Cape Horn and Staten Island, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Kerguelen, Heard, Antipodes, Macquarie and Campbell Islands. Post-breeding dispersal throughout Southern Oceans mainly between 65 and 23 degrees south but range extends to about 10 degrees south off Peru and 20 degrees south off Africa.
Subspecies
Two subspecies recognized by Clements, separable at sea.
Differing opinions from other authorities.
Habitat
Colonial breeder on grassy clifftops on islands, otherwise at sea and regularly follows ships.
Breeding
Breeds September-early May, nest is a large bowl made of mud, vegetable matter and feathers. One egg, white with red-brown blotches at larger end (103 x 66mm). Incubated by female for 56- 70 days and young fed by both parents. Fledges after about 5 months.
Diet
Squid, cuttlefish, crustaceans and fish, sometimes refuse from ships.
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