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 VU    Southern Royal Albatross Id (Atlas): 974
    Diomedea epomophora

Description (10)
Image of Southern Royal Albatross
 

Other Names (World)
Southern Royal Albatross, Royal Albatross

Family
Diomedeidae (Albatrosses)

Size
107 - 122 cm
Wingspan: 305 - 350 cm

First Described (Guide)
Lesson, 1825

Derivation
Di-o-më-dë'-a - from Diomede, a Trojan war hero: e-pom-oph'-or-a - Gk, epomos, point of shoulder; Gk, phoreus, bearer

Abundance (Guide)
UC

Uncommon. Moderately common in off-shore waters of southern Australia.

Habitat
Marine, pelagic and aerial, in sub-Antarctic, sub-tropical and occasionally Antarctic waters.

Range (Guide)
Argentina (NB) (P), Australia (NB) (P), Brazil (NB) (P), Chile (NB) (P), Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (NB) (P), French Southern Territories (NB) (P), Heard Island and McDonald Islands (NB) (P), New Zealand, South Africa (NB) (P), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (NB) (P), St Helena (NB), Uruguay (NB).

Vagrant to Antarctica (NB) (P), New Caledonia.

Unknown to Bouvet Island.

Image of Range of Southern Royal Albatross
Breeds at Campbell and Auckland islands, but occasionally recorded in seas off south-eastern and southern Australia.
 
Rarity Status
View Rarity Status Information

Population
Estimated population is 27200 (2012) and stable.

Status VU
Probably secure.

See also EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna.

For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Cuttle-fish and other marine life, as well as galley-refuse from ships.

Voice
Hoarse, guttural calls when feeding and courting, with skywards whistled brays and bill-clapping.



Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (5)...)

 
Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) [XC343600]
     by Frank Lambert from Stewart Island, Southland, New Zealand (call)

 
Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) [XC343601]
     by Frank Lambert from Stewart Island, Southland, New Zealand (call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds on Campbell Island and in the Auckland Islands, (November - December). Breeds only every second year.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


Nest
A truncated cone, composed of earth and grass cemented with guano, on the ground. In colonies.

Eggs (Guide)
1; white, often with pink-brown blotches, ellipsoidal; about 124 x 79 mm. Incubation: about 79 days; by both sexes.

Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 235 - 245 days.

Subspecies
Diomedea epomophora (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) and Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi) following Robertson and Nunn (1998) and Brooke (2004).

Some consider Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi) which is smaller and darker winged and Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) which is larger and white winged subspecies rather than full species.

The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

  • epomophora Lesson, 1825   -  Campbell I and Auckland Is.
  • sanfordi Lesson, 1825   -  New Zealand and Chatham Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Northern Royal Albatross (Diomedea sanfordi).


Similar Species
Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans), which does not have dark cutting edges to both mandibles.


References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9


Files:
JPG files for Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) - 10 filesMP3 files for Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) - 1 files


More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Southern Royal Albatross see... Show Articles BirdLife International Species Factsheet.


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