Black-browed Albatross
Thalassarche melanophris
Summary 4
The Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys), also known as the Black-browed Mollymawk, is a large seabird of the albatross family Diomedeidae; it is the most widespread and common member of its family.
Conservation 5
Until 2013, the IUCN classified this species as Endangered due to a drastic reduction in population.Bird Island near South Georgia Island had a 4% per year loss of nesting pairs, and the Kerguelen Island population had a 17% reduction from 1979 to 1995.Diego Ramírez decreased in the 1980s but has rebounded recently, and the Falklands had a surge in the 1980s probably due to abundant fish waste from trawlers; however, recent censuses have shown drastic reduction in the majority of the nesting sites there. Between all the ups and downs, the overall situation is grim, with a 67% decline over 64 years.
Increased longline fishing in the southern oceans, especially around the Patagonian Shelf and around South Georgia has been attributed as a major cause of the decline of this bird, In fact, the Black-browed Albatross is the most common bird killed by fisheries. Not to be left out trawl fishing, especially around the Patagonian Shelf and near South Africa, is also a large reason.
Conservation efforts underway start with this species being placed on Convention on Migratory Species Appendix II, and Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels Annex 1, it is being monitored on half of the islands, and most of the breeding sites are reserves. Heard Island, McDonald Island, Macquarie Island, and the New Zealand islands are World Heritage Sites. Finally, an initial Chilean census has been completed.
Description 5
The Black-browed Albatross is a medium-sized albatross, at 80–95 cm (31–37 in) long with a 200–240 cm (79–94 in) wingspan and an average weight of 2.9–4.7 kg (6.4–10.4 lb). It can have a natural lifespan of over 70 years. It has a dark grey saddle and upperwings that contrast with the white rump, and underparts. The underwing is predominantly white with broad, irregular, black margins. It has a dark eyebrow and a yellow-orange bill with a darker reddish-orange tip. Juveniles have dark horn-colored bills with dark tips, and a grey head and collar. They also have dark underwings. The features that distinguish it from other mollymawks (except the closely related Campbell Albatross) are the dark eyestripe which gives it its name, a broad black edging to the white underside of its wings, white head and orange bill, tipped darker orange. The Campbell Albatross is very similar but with a pale eye. Immature birds are similar to Grey-headed Albatrosses but the latter have wholly dark bills and more complete dark head markings.
Sources and Credits
- (c) 2001 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=31586&one=T
- (c) Duncan, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/11056712@N00/2549596831
- (c) Cláudio Dias Timm, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdtimm/12142048043/
- Adapted by Brittany Burson from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalassarche_melanophris
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-browed_Albatross
More Info
Range Map
iNat Map
| Color | black, pink, white |
|---|---|
| Status | endangered |
