Salvin's Albatross

Thalassarche salvini (Rothschild, 1893)

3.9 kgWeight

Salvin's albatross (Thalassarche salvini) or Salvin's mollymawk, is a large seabird that breeds mainly on the Bounty Islands of New Zealand, with scant amounts on islands across the Southern Ocean.

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

Vulnerable

Where and when it's recorded

Salvin's Albatross has been recorded at 33 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Kaikoura – offshore – Albatross Encounter pelagicNew Zealand5,634 records
Quintero – PelágicoChile852 records
Valparaíso – PelágicoChile835 records

More places

Eaglehawk Neck Pelagic TripAustralia354 records
Cook Strait FerryNew Zealand311 records
Stewart Island – east coast pelagic watersNew Zealand217 records
Stewart Island – Titi Islands PelagicNew Zealand214 records
Foveaux StraitNew Zealand207 records
Kaikoura – Point Kean Seal ColonyNew Zealand172 records
Poor Knights Shelf AreaNew Zealand154 records

Countries and regions with the most records

New Zealand Chile Australia Antarctica

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

Salvin's albatross (Thalassarche salvini) or Salvin's mollymawk, is a large seabird that breeds mainly on the Bounty Islands of New Zealand, with scant amounts on islands across the Southern Ocean. A medium-sized mollymawk, it was long considered to be a subspecies of the shy albatross.

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

Questions

How big is the Salvin's Albatross?

The Salvin's Albatross weighs around 3.9 kg.

Where does the Salvin's Albatross live?

Its breeding range: Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean: Bounty (most of population; east of Stewart Island), western Snares (south of South Island; New Zealand) and Crozet islands (few; South Indian Ocean). It is most often recorded in New Zealand, Chile and Australia.

When is the best time to see the Salvin's Albatross?

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

Is the Salvin's Albatross endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Salvin's Albatross as Vulnerable.

What does the Salvin's Albatross eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Salvin's Albatross in?

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

At a glance

Weight: 3.9 kg
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: On the water surface
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Vulnerable

More measurements

Wing: 558 mm
Tail: 208 mm
Bill: 127 mm
Tarsus: 79 mm

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

Range

Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean: Bounty (most of population; east of Stewart Island), western Snares (south of South Island; New Zealand) and Crozet islands (few; South Indian Ocean)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2