Story: Albatrosses

Antipodean wandering albatross pair

Antipodean wandering albatross pair

This pair of Antipodean wandering albatrosses is nesting at a typical site on windswept Antipodes Island, 850 kilometres south-east of Stewart Island. The male (left) is sitting on the nest, which is a raised cup of soil with some plant growth. While both have chocolate-brown and white plumage, a white face and brown cap, females retain a lot more of the brown colouring from the juvenile stage. Males have brown speckling on the breast, in contrast to the pure white of royal albatrosses, but this fades with age. Males weigh about 7.4 kilograms, females around 5.8 kilograms.

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Photograph by Paul Sagar

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How to cite this page:

Paul Sagar, 'Albatrosses - New Zealand’s great albatrosses', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/7495/antipodean-wandering-albatross-pair (accessed 18 April 2024)

Story by Paul Sagar, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 17 Feb 2015