Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross
Thalassarche carteri
Summary 4
The Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche carteri) is a member of the albatross family, and is the smallest of the mollymawks. In 2004, BirdLife International split this species from the Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross; however Clements has not split it yet, and the SACC has not either, but recognizes the need for a proposal.
Conservation 5
It is considered to be an endangered species by the IUCN, due to dramatic declines in the last seventy years, caused by interactions with longline fisheries and the outbreak of introduced diseases, such as Avian Cholera and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. It has an occurrence range of 35,300,000 km2 (13,600,000 sq mi) and a breeding range of 1,400 km2 (540 sq mi). A 2004 population estimate established that around a total of 65,000 adult birds are alive. This is based on earlier counts as follows: 27,000 breeding pairs breed on Amsterdam Island, and 7,500 pair on Prince Edward Island, 7,030 on Crozet Island, 50 on Kerguelen Island, and 3 pair on St. Paul Island for a total of 41,580 pair or 83,000 mature individuals. Take into account decreasing trends for the stated number.
Monitoring of the birds and studying of its foraging is an ongoing project on Amsterdam Island, and Prince Edward Islands is a nature preserve. A vaccination has been developed but remains untested. Finally, in 2006, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission adopted a measure to require longline boats to use a bird streamer south of 30°S, and South Africa requires its boats to use a variety of mitigation processes.
Description 5
The Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross weighs 2.55 kg (5.6 lb), is 76 cm (30 in) long and is 2 m (6.6 ft) across the wings. The adult has a pale grey or white head and nape, with a dark grey mantle, upperwing, and tail. Its rump and underparts are white, and its underwing is white with a black tip with a narrow black margin at the leading edge. Its bill is black with a yellow upper ridge and a red tip. The juvenile has a white head and all black bill. It is difficult to distinguish from the closely related Grey-headed Albatross and Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross, the latter with which it was long considered conspecific and is still considered by some a subspecies of. It can be distinguished from the Atlantic Yellow-nosed by its head, the grey plumage of which is lighter on the Indian Yellow-nosed.
Sources and Credits
- (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://images.marinespecies.org/resized/5188_yellow-nosed-albatross-2.jpg
- (c) JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com), some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Thalassarche_carteri_-_SE_Tasmania.jpg
- (c) Brian Gratwicke, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/19731486@N07/7092041219
- Adapted by Brittany Burson from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassarche_carteri
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Yellow-nosed_Albatross
More Info
iNat Map
| Color | black, grey, white, yellow |
|---|---|
| Status | endangered |
