Black-Browed Albatross
Thalassarche melanophris
Also known as: Black-Browed Albatros
About This Species
Black-browed Albatrosses roam the Southern Ocean on long, stiff-winged glides, following ships and feeding on fish, squid and krill snatched from the surface. They breed in dense colonies on cliffs and slopes of subantarctic islands, where pairs perform loud braying displays. The breeding season, roughly September to March, is when colonies are most active and accessible by organised boat or land visits.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep a substantial distance from nesting colonies and never approach incubating birds directly, since albatrosses can be startled off eggs and are highly sensitive to repeated disturbance.
- Most breeding islands, such as the Falklands and South Georgia, are managed nature reserves with strict visitor protocols set by local authorities, and these rules should always take precedence over general guidance.
- At sea, birds following a vessel can be watched and photographed without any special distance restrictions.
LCAvesProcellariiformesDiomedeidae
Seasonal Activity
295,885 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Diomedeidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.