Home Log Out
Birdpedia - Australia         | Home | Birds | Calendar | Reserves | Field Trips | Sightings | Reports | Contacts | [HBW - BirdLife (v3)] 29/03/2024 11:00:48 PM
Species Database
Find
Quick Links
News
 
Species Details [Taxonomy: HBW - BirdLife (v3)] Print... Email... 

 LC    Black-browed Albatross* Id (Atlas): 088
    Thalassarche melanophris

Description (10)
Image of Black-browed Albatross
 

Other Scientific Names
Thalassarche melanophris [Christidis and Boles (2008)], Diomedea melanophris [Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)]

Other Names (World)
Black-browed Albatross, Black-browed Mollymawk

Family
Diomedeidae (Albatrosses)

Size
80 - 95 cm
Wingspan: 210 - 250 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Temminck, 1828)

Derivation
Thalassarche - Gk, thalassa, sea; ?: mel-an-oph'-ris - Gk, melas (melanos), black; Gk, phrys (phrus), brow

Abundance (Guide)
LA - MC

Locally abundant and moderately common in south-eastern Australian waters. During summer mostly subantarctic and Antarctic waters.

Habitat
Marine, in Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and sub-tropical waters.

Range (Guide)
Angola (NB), Antarctica (NB), Argentina (NB), Atlantic (Antarctic) (NB), Atlantic Ocean (Southeastern) (NB), Atlantic Ocean (Southwestern) (NB), Australia (NB), Brazil (NB), Chile (R), Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (R), French Southern Territories (R), Heard Island and McDonald Islands (R), Indian Ocean (Antarctic) (NB), Indian Ocean (Eastern) (NB), Indian Ocean (Western) (NB), Namibia (NB), New Zealand (R), Pacific Ocean (Antarctic) (NB), Pacific Ocean (Southeast) (NB), Pacific Ocean (Southwest) (NB), Pacific Ocean (Western Central) (NB), Peru (B), South Africa (NB), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (R), Uruguay (NB).

Vagrant to Denmark, Fiji (NB).

Unknown to Ecuador.

Image of Range of Black-browed Albatross
Breeds on various sub-Antarctic islands, including Macquarie Island. Very common in Australia seas, north to about Fremantle, WA and Sydney, New South Wales. Progressively less common further north.
 
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 1,200,000 (2010) and decreasing.

Status LC
Vulnerable.

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
Guttural gruntings and cackling calls when fighting for food. Whistled braying when displaying. Chicks peep. Silent at sea.



Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (27)...)

 
Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) [XC863979]
     by Kevin Guille from Sourcil Noir, France (alarm call, call, song)

 
Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) [XC863972]
     by Kevin Guille from Sourcil Noir, France (song)

Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds mostly on sub-Antarctic Islands, including Maquarie and Heard Islands (September - December).

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


Nest
Large, cone-shaped, composed of earth and grass mixed with vegatable material, on the ground. In large colonies.

Eggs (Guide)
1; dull white, with pink tinge and dark red-brown markings toward larger end; oblong-oval; about 103 x 66 mm. Incubation: about 71 days; by both sexes.

Young
Fledge in 120 - 150 days.

Subspecies
Diomedea melanophris (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into melanophrys and impavida and both placed in the genus Thalassarche (Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) and Campbell Albatross (Thalassarche impavida)) following Robertson and Nunn (1998) and Brooke (2004).

Some authors still consider Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) which is widespread with a dark brown eye and Campbell Albatross (Thalassarche impavida) with a pale yellow-brown eye and breeding only on islands south of New Zealand, to be full species, rather than subpecies.

The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

  • melanophris (Temminck, 1828)   -  Southern Ocean, from Cape Horn east to Antipodes Is.
  • impavida (Mathews, 1912)   -  Campbell Is, NZ. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Campbell Albatross (Thalassarche impavida).


Similar Species
Immatures with immature Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta), which has a lighter colored bill, and immature Grey-headed Albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma), whose grey head is sharply demarcated at the breast.


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

More... see more information (images, calls, videos etc)


Files:
JPG files for Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) - 10 filesMP3 files for Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris) - 1 files


More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Black-browed Albatross see... Show Articles BirdLife International Species Factsheet.


Articles about the Black-browed Albatross

If you would like to read any articles about the Black-browed Albatross... Show Articles Show Articles (0)


No Pictures of Black-browed Albatross

If Birdpedia has no pictures of Black-browed Albatross or you would like to see more, then try the following...

      Show External Images from BING From BING (10)


No Videos of Black-browed Albatross

If Birdpedia has no videos of Black-browed Albatross or you would like to see more, then try the following..

      Show External Videos From BING (0)


Where can I observe this species?
Select an area (or leave blank) to see locations where this species has been recorded.

Area
  All   

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.
 
Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   GPS help
Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   Find GPS using Google Maps
Distance Bearing  
Get Sample GPS readings


On What Field Trips was this species observed?
Select an area (or leave blank), and a date range, to see field trips on which this species has been recorded.

Area
  All   

From To  
 

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.
 
Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   GPS help
Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or
Distance Bearing  
Get Sample GPS readings


Latest Sightings for Black-browed Albatross
Select the Area to restrict the Sightings.

Area
  All