Birds
Salvin's Albatross
Thalassarche salvini · also called Salvin's mollymawk
Breeding almost entirely on just two remote New Zealand island groups, Salvin’s albatross concentrates the great majority of its world population onto a handful of sites, leaving this pale-headed mollymawk unusually exposed to any single localised threat.
Overview
Salvin’s albatross, Thalassarche salvini, is a Vulnerable seabird native to ocean habitat across the Southern Ocean, foraging widely off New Zealand, Australia, and South America. Its extremely concentrated breeding range, distinctive pale grey head, and ongoing vulnerability to longline fishing make it one of the more geographically restricted mollymawk species found anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere.
A wide-ranging forager with a narrow home
Despite crossing thousands of kilometres of open ocean between New Zealand, Australia, and South America in search of food, Salvin’s albatross returns each breeding season to almost the same handful of remote island sites, a striking mismatch between its foraging range and its breeding footprint.
Status
Vulnerable, with populations remaining concentrated on a small number of breeding sites and continuing to face pressure from longline fishing bycatch, contributing to an ongoing gradual decline.
Salvin's Albatross: common questions
Where does Salvin's albatross breed?
This species breeds almost entirely on the Bounty Islands and Snares Islands off New Zealand, with a much smaller number also nesting on the Crozet Islands far across the Southern Ocean.
How can you identify Salvin's albatross?
This species has a distinctive pale grey head and a pale, silvery-grey iris, features that help separate it from similar mollymawk species encountered across the same waters.
Why is Salvin's albatross vulnerable to fishing?
This species faces significant mortality from longline fishing operations, becoming hooked while attempting to take bait set for other target fish species across its wide foraging range.
Who was Salvin's albatross named after?
This species is named after Osbert Salvin, a nineteenth-century British ornithologist who contributed extensively to the study of seabirds during his career.