Birds · Procellariiformes · Diomedeidae

Black-browed Albatross

Thalassarche melanophris

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The black-browed albatross is the most abundant albatross in the world, with a dark line above the eye that gives it a frowning expression. It breeds in enormous colonies in the Falklands, South Georgia, Chile and the subantarctic islands. For decades it was the chief victim of longline fisheries, and the introduction of mitigation measures in southern hemisphere fleets has allowed its population to recover and the IUCN to downlist it from Endangered to Least Concern.

Weight

2.9 kg – 4.7 kg

Size

80 cm – 95 cm

Lifespan

70 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanPolarIslandsCarnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Ocean Polar Islands

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Fun facts

reproducciónIt can live for several decades and pairs monogamously for life, performing elaborate synchronised courtship rituals that are repeated every breeding season.
Its recovery is one of the best pieces of news in recent marine conservation: it went from Endangered in 2003 to Least Concern in 2013 thanks to bird-scaring lines, weighted hooks and night setting on longlines.
An individual called Albert has been turning up every spring for more than three decades at a gannet colony in Scotland, thousands of kilometres from his own species, in search of a mate he will never find.
It can live for more than seventy years and does not breed until after its first decade of life.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: The Southern Ocean and shelf waters of the southern hemisphere; it breeds on subantarctic islands
Sexual maturity: 10.6 years
Gestation / incubation: 68 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 1 egg

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/