Common on coasts of Victoria, Tasmania and southern New South Wales and South Australia. Uncommon elsewhere. Rare vagrant to south-eastern Australia and southern Tasmania.
Habitat
Marine, in sub-Antarctic and sub-tropical waters.
Unknown to Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), French Southern Territories, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Norfolk Island, Peru, Reunion, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, St Helena, Uruguay.
Breeds on islands off Tasmania and Auckland Island, New Zealand. Common in Australian seas, north to about Fremantle, WA and Sydney, NSW. 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.
Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta) [XC34756]
by Rob van Bemmelen from Aukland Islands, New Zealand (nesting birds in colony)
Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta) [XC345388]
by Dan Lane from Stewart Island, Southland, New Zealand (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Breeds on Albatross Rock, Bass Strait and also on sub-antarctic Islands (September - April). The only albatross known to breed in Australia.
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Nest
Flat, bowl-shaped, composed of earth and guano mixed with roots and grasses, on the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
1; white often flecked with red toward the larger end; oblong-oval; about 106 x 67 mm. Incubation: about 60 - 75 days; by both sexes.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 126 - 133 days.
Subspecies
Diomedea cauta (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into cauta, eremita and salvini following Brooke (2004) and steadi following ACAP (2006) and all placed in the genus Thalassarche (Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta), Chatham Albatross (Thalassarche eremita), Salvin's Albatross (Thalassarche salvini), White-capped Albatross (Thalassarche steadi)).
Thalassarche cauta has been split into Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta) and White-capped Albatross (Thalassarche steadi) following Robertson and Nunn (1998), ACAP (2006).
Some consider Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta), resident and breeding in Australia, Salvin's Albatross (Thalassarche salvini) having a greyer head and darker bill and Chatham Albatross (Thalassarche eremita), both winter visitors, to be subspecies rather than full species.
If not treated as full species then three subspecies, two in Australian waters.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
cauta (Gould, 1841) - Tasmania and Auckland Is.
salvini (Rothschild, 1893) - Crozet, Snares and Bounty islands. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Salvin's Albatross (Thalassarche salvini).
eremita (Murphy, 1930) - Chatham Islands. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Chatham Albatross (Thalassarche eremita).
steadi Falla, 1933 - Auckland Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, White-capped Albatross (Thalassarche steadi).
Similar Species
Immature Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans), which lacks the black leading edge of the underwing and the small black 'armpits', and Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris), which is much darker underwing.
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
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