Southern Royal Albatross

Scientific Name: Diomedea epomophora

Population Estimate: 29K, Vulnerable status

Range / Habitat: Pelagic species which breeds on Campbell and Auckland Islands of New Zealand. Widespread in the southern Pacific Ocean when not breeding.

Field Notes: Huge seabird with long narrow wings. All white head and body, flesh-coloured bill with black edge to upper mandible. Wings generally black on top with some white extending from the body onto the leading edge. Wings white underneath with black wingtips. Distinguished from mollymawks by size and all white body. Northern Royal Albatross has no extension of white from body onto upper wings. Some plumages of Wandering Albatross may be similar but lack black line to mandible.

Personal Notes: Maora name Toroa. Seen in Foveaux Strait off Stewart Island. Considered one species with Northern Royal Albatross until recently.

Salvin's Albatross

Scientific Name: Thalassarche salvini

Population Estimate: 62K, Vulnerable status

Range / Habitat: Pelagic bird that breeds in the Snares Islands and Bounty Island of New Zealand as well as the Crozet Islands in the Indian Ocean. When not breeding, widespread throughout the southern Pacific Ocean.

Field Notes: Small albatross with light grey head and neck. Bill grey with faint yellow outline. Upperwings and back dark. Underwings white with clear-cut, narrow black borders and small black triangular notch at base of the leading edge. Buller's Albatross similar but with black bill outlined in bright yellow. Shy Albatross with white cap and head.

Personal Notes: Known as Salvin's Mollymawk in New Zealand. Some sources consider this bird a subspecies of Shy Albatross. Seen in the Foveaux Strait off of Stewart Island.

Buller's Albatross

Scientific Name: Thalassarche bulleri

Population Estimate: 64K

Range / Habitat: Pelagic bird in the southern Pacific Ocean. Breeds on several small islands around New Zealand.

Field Notes: Small albatross with light grey head and neck. Bill black with bright yellow outline. Upperwings and back dark. Underwings white with clear-cut broad dark leading edge and narrower trailing edge. Very similar to Grey-headed Albatross. Salvin's Albatross also similar but bill light grey with subtle yellow outline.

Personal Notes: Seen in the Foveaux Strait off Stewart Island. Known as Buller's Mollymawk in New Zealand.

Cape Petrel

Scientific Name: Daption capense

Population Estimate: 2M

Range / Habitat: Pelagic bird of the southern Pacific Ocean. Breeds on islands of Antarctica as well as Auckland Islands and Chatham Islands of New Zealand.

Field Notes: Medium-sized seabird with distinctive black and white checkered back as able. Head solid dark. Underparts white with black leading edge to wings.

Personal Notes: Seen in the Foveaux Strait off Stewart Island. Known as Cape Pigeon in New Zealand.

Sooty Shearwater

Scientific Name: Puffinus griseus

Population Estimate: 20M, Near Threatened status

Range / Habitat: Sooty Shearwaters breed on small islands in the south Pacific and south Atlantic Oceans, mainly around New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego and also in the Auckland Islands and Phillip Island off Norfolk Island.

 

Field Notes: A large shearwater. In the Atlantic, the only one that appears uniformly dark sooty brown above and below, with silvery whitish wing linings. Bill and feet dark. This slender, narrow-winged seabird skims on stiff wings over the waves, alternately gliding and flapping.

  

Personal Notes:

 

Northern Fulmar

Scientific Name: Fulmarus glacialis

Population Estimate: 15M - 30M, Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Breeds on steep sea cliffs in the circumpolar Arctic to subarctic. Winters at sea from ice-covered northern waters down to temperate zones.

Field Notes: Medium-sized seabird, generally gull-shaped but heavier body. White head and underparts with grey mantle like some gulls, but pale patches in primaries apparent in flight. Eyes with dark smudge and tube nose distinctive. 

Personal notes: One of our favourite sights in Iceland -- nesting Northern Fulmars.

Shy Albatross

Scientific Name: Thalassarche cauta

Population Estimate: 26K, Near Threatened status

Range / Habitat: Pelagic bird that breeds in the Auckland Islands of New Zealand and three islands off of Tasmania. When not breeding, widespread throughout the southern Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.

Field Notes: Small albatross with white head, neck and body. Bill grey with faint yellow tip. Upperwings and back dark. Underwings white with clear-cut, narrow black borders and small black triangular notch at base of the leading edge.

Personal Notes: Known as the Shy Mollymawk in New Zealand, with the above subspecies called the White-capped Mollymawk. Seen in Fiordland waters and the Foveaux Strait off Stewart Island. Later seen in Sydney Harbour.

Wandering Albatross

                                            
 Scientific Name: Diomedea exulans

Population Estimate: 26K, vulnerable

Range / Habitat: The Wandering Albatross breeds on South Georgia Island, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands, Prince Edward Islands, and Macquarie Island, is seen feeding year round off the Kaikoura Peninsula on the east coast of the south island of New Zealand and it ranges in all the southern oceans from 28° to 60°

Field Notes:115 cm. Huge albatross with variable plumage, whitening with age. Juvenile chocolate-brown with white face mask, white underwing with black tip and trailing margin. Underparts become pure white. On upperparts, back whitens first, followed by crown and rump, white wedge forms in centre upperwing, extending to coverts. Black tips remain on outer tail feathers. Pink bill and flesh legs.

Personal Notes:

Northern Royal Albatross

Scientific Name: Diomedea sanfordi

Population Estimate: 17K, Endangered status

Range / Habitat: Pelagic bird which breeds at Tiaroa Head and Chatham Islands of New Zealand. Widespread in the southern Pacific Ocean when not breeding.

Field Notes: Huge seabird with long narrow wings. All white head and body, flesh-coloured bill with black edge to upper mandible. Wings black on top, white underneath with black wingtips. Distinguished from mollymawks by size and all white body. Southern Royal Albatross has extension of white from body onto leading edge of upper wings. Some plumages of Wandering Albatross may be similar but lack black line to mandible.

Personal Notes: Maora name Toroa. Seen at Tiaroa Head, which is the only mainland breeding colony of these majestic birds. Considered one species with Southern Royal Albatross until recently.