Chatham Albatross (Thalassarche eremita)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Chatham Albatross

Thalassarche eremita Murphy, 1930

90 cmLength3.9 kgWeight

The Chatham albatross (Thalassarche eremita), also known as the Chatham mollymawk or Chatham Island mollymawk, is a medium-sized black-and-white albatross which breeds only on The Pyramid, a large rock stack in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand.

Busiest months: December · Most records: Chile, New Zealand, Australia

Vulnerable

Where and when it's recorded

Chatham Albatross has been recorded at 6 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Valparaíso – PelágicoChile121 records
  2. Quintero – PelágicoChile119 records
  3. Poor Knights Shelf AreaNew Zealand34 records
More places
  1. Eaglehawk Neck Pelagic TripAustralia25 records
  2. Kaikoura – offshore – Albatross Encounter pelagicNew Zealand8 records
  3. Stewart Island – east coast pelagic watersNew Zealand1 record

Countries and regions with the most records

ChileNew ZealandAustralia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Chatham albatross (Thalassarche eremita), also known as the Chatham mollymawk or Chatham Island mollymawk, is a medium-sized black-and-white albatross which breeds only on The Pyramid, a large rock stack in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta). It is the smallest of the shy albatross group.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Chatham Albatross?

The Chatham Albatross is about 90 cm long and weighs around 3.9 kg.

Where does the Chatham Albatross live?

Its breeding range: Pacific Ocean: Pyramid Rock (Chatham Islands, east of South Island, New Zealand). It is most often recorded in Chile, New Zealand and Australia.

When is the best time to see the Chatham Albatross?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in December (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Chatham Albatross endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Chatham Albatross as Vulnerable.

What does the Chatham Albatross eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Chatham Albatross in?

It belongs to the family Albatrosses (Diomedeidae), order Procellariiformes.

At a glance

Length
90 cm
Weight
3.9 kg
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Vulnerable
More measurements
Wing
542 mm
Tail
204 mm
Bill
127 mm
Tarsus
94 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Pacific Ocean: Pyramid Rock (Chatham Islands, east of South Island, New Zealand)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Albatrosses Diomedeidae
Genus
Thalassarche

Other birds in the genus Thalassarche

Atlantic Yellow-nosed AlbatrossAtlantic Yellow-nosed AlbatrossThalassarche chlororhynchosIndian Yellow-nosed AlbatrossIndian Yellow-nosed AlbatrossThalassarche carteriGrey-headed AlbatrossGrey-headed AlbatrossThalassarche chrysostomaBuller's AlbatrossBuller's AlbatrossThalassarche bulleriShy AlbatrossShy AlbatrossThalassarche cautaSalvin's AlbatrossSalvin's AlbatrossThalassarche salviniBlack-browed AlbatrossBlack-browed AlbatrossThalassarche melanophrisCampbell AlbatrossCampbell AlbatrossThalassarche impavidaNorthern Royal AlbatrossNorthern Royal AlbatrossDiomedea sanfordiSouthern Royal AlbatrossSouthern Royal AlbatrossDiomedea epomophora
Chatham Albatross

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Oscar Thomas. ↗

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