Alternative names: Shy Mollymawk; Shy Albatross
- Thalassarche cauta
Identification
Length 90–100 cm (35½-39½ in). Wingspan 198-256cm.
Adult: Brownish-black on back, tail and upperwings, palest on mantle. Rump, neck, and underparts white. Head has distinctly capped appearance with white forehead and dark eyebrow above grey cheeks. Underwing white with very narrow dark margins and dark 'thumbmark' at base of leading edge. Iris dark brown, bill yellowish-grey with brighter yellow tip and legs pinkish with bluish joints.
Immature: as adult but has dull grey, black-tipped bill and greyer head and hindneck. At all ages dark 'thumbmark' indicates a member of the cauta group.
Distribution
The Tasmanian Shy/White-capped Albatross (T. c. cauta) breeds on Albatross Rock in Bass Strait and the Mewstone and Pedra Branca off south Tasmania. Disperses to seas off southern Australia and present all year off Tasmania, Victoria and southern New South Wales, less commmonly west to Fremantle and north to northern Queensland.
The Auckland White-capped Albatross (T. c. steadi) breeds only on the Auckland and Antipodes islands of New Zealand. Many of these subspecies disperse further than the Tasmanian Shy Albatross and can occur throughout the Southern Oceans north to about 25 degrees south occurring on both coasts of South America and off South Africa.
Has occurred as vagrant on the northern hemisphere.
Taxonomy
Salvin's Albatross and Chatham Albatross have long been considered subspecies of this species.
Diomedea vs. Thalassarche
Genera Phoebastria and Thalassarche formerly placed in the Diomedea, but now considered by virtually all authorities (Clements, Howard & Moore, AOU, BOU, SACC) to be separate genera in light of Nunn et al. (1996) and Penhallurick & Wink (2004).
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- T. c. cauta (Shy):
- Breeds Tasmania and adjacent islands
- T. c. steadi (White-capped):
- Breeds Auckland Islands
Habitat
Present at breeding sites April-August, otherwise at sea and often follows ships.
Behaviour
Breeding
Begins late September-early October. Nest is a large bowl made of mud, excreta, vegetable matter and feathers. Single egg, white marked with red-brown at larger end (106 x 67mm). Incubated by both parents for about 55-60 days and young fed by both parents. Fledges after 5 months.
Diet
Squid and fish, sometimes refuse from ships.
Vocalisation
Cackling and bill-clattering on breeding grounds.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Pizzey, G. & Knight, F. 1997. Birds of Australia (Collins Field Guide). HarperCollins Publishers, London. ISBN 0-00-220132-1
- Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3
- Carboneras, C., Jutglar, F. & Kirwan, G.M. (2017). Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/52507 on 6 February 2017).
- del Hoyo, J., Collar, N. & Kirwan, G.M. (2017). White-capped Albatross (Thalassarche steadi). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/467266 on 6 February 2017).
- Robertson, C.J.R. & Nunn, G.B. (1998) Towards a new taxonomy for albatrosses. Pp. 13–19 in: Robertson, G. & Gales, R. eds. (1998). The Albatross, Biology and Conservation. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, UK.
- Sagar, P.M. 2013 [updated 2016]. White-capped mollymawk. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. http://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz
- Shirihai, H. 2008. Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife: Birds and Marine Mammals of the Antarctic Continent and the Southern Ocean. Princeton & Oxford: Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0691136660
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) White-capped Albatross. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-capped_Albatross
External Links
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