Birds
Tristan Albatross
Diomedea dabbenena · also called Tristan da Cunha albatross
Breeding almost entirely on a single remote South Atlantic island, a Tristan albatross now faces one of conservation’s more unsettling threats, introduced mice that have learned to attack and kill chicks many times their own body size.
Overview
The Tristan albatross, Diomedea dabbenena, is a Critically Endangered seabird native to ocean habitat across the South Atlantic. Its highly concentrated breeding range, extraordinary vulnerability to introduced mice, and naturally slow breeding rate make it one of the more urgently threatened large seabirds found anywhere in the world.
A threat almost too strange to believe
Few conservation stories are as unsettling as the Tristan albatross’s ongoing battle against introduced mice, small rodents that have somehow learned to overwhelm and kill chicks vastly larger than themselves, turning a seemingly minor pest into one of the species’ most severe threats.
Status
Critically Endangered, with populations declining sharply due to chick predation from introduced mice combined with longline fishing mortality at sea.
Tristan Albatross: common questions
Why are introduced mice such a serious threat to the Tristan albatross?
This species faces attacks from introduced house mice that have learned to target and kill chicks many times their own body size, a behaviour that has driven serious population declines on the species' main breeding island.
How concentrated is the Tristan albatross's breeding range?
This species breeds almost entirely on one remote island in the South Atlantic, leaving its global population highly concentrated and especially vulnerable to any threat specific to that single location.
Why is the Tristan albatross so slow to recover from population declines?
This species raises only a single chick per breeding attempt and breeds only every second year at most, making population recovery extremely slow whenever additional mortality, such as mouse predation, is added to the mix.
What other threats does the Tristan albatross face besides mice?
This species also faces mortality from longline fishing operations at sea, adding further pressure to the population already struggling against introduced predators on its breeding island.