Buller's Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri) [XC424845]
by id from Middle Sister, Chatham Islands, New Zealand (call)
Buller's Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri) [XC34718]
by David Boyle from Chatham Islands: at sea, New Zealand (calling in water)
Nest
A conical mound, composed of earth and grass, with a small egg hollow, on the ground. In colonies.
Eggs (Guide)
1; chalky, creamy-white, sometimes speckled with brownish-red; ellipsoidal; 93 - 11 x 61 - 70 mm. Incubation: about 69 days; by both sexes, but initially by female after laying.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledging in about 120 - 150 days. Fed by both parents by incomplete regurtitation.
Subspecies
Diomedea bulleri (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) is retained as a species in the genus Thalassarche following Brooke (2004) contra Robertson and Nunn (1998) who split it into Buller's Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri) and Pacific Albatross (Thalassarche platei).
Some consider Buller's Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri) and Pacific Albatross (Thalassarche platei) to be subspecies rather than full species.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
bulleri (Rothschild, 1893) - Solander and Snares Is.
platei (Reichenow, 1898) - Three Kings and Chatham Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Pacific Albatross (Thalassarche platei).
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