Tristan Albatross

The Tristan Albatross, Diomedea dabbenena, is a large seabird from the albatross family. One of the great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea, it was only widely recognised as a full species in 1998.

The Tristan Albatross is classified as Critically Endangered (CR), facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

The Tristan Albatross, Diomedea dabbenena, is a large seabird from the albatross family. One of the great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea, it was only widely recognised as a full species in 1998. More

One of the Great Albatrosses, the Tristan Albatross is the third rarest Albatross species, restricted to breeding on Gough ( c 1500 pairs ) and Inaccessible ( c 2-3 pairs ) Islands in the Tristan da Cunha Islands. The Albatrosses are surface feeders, catching squid and fish. This 2004 photograph from James Glass shows a juvenile on Hillpiece, Tristan da Cunha, the first recorded landing for over a century. More

Tristan albatross in flight, dorsal view Tristan albatross in flight, dorsal viewPrint factsheet Facts - Synonyms: Diomedea exulans dabbenena Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Aves Order Procellariiformes Family Diomedeidae Genus Diomedea (1) More

Tristan albatross is well adapted for gliding the ocean airs (2). Previously considered a member of the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) species, these birds share an extremely similar plumage (3). Adults are white, with a dark upperwing (4). The two species are probably indistinguishable in the field, but the Tristan albatross is generally smaller, darker and slower to acquire the white adult plumage (3). More

Albatross and the Tristan Albatross were distinct from the Wandering Albatross, per Robertson and Nunn, but found that the suggested Gibson's Albatross, Diomedea gibsoni, was not distinct from the Antipodean Albatross. More

Tristan albatross edging towards extinction December 2008. The Tristan albatross, one of the world's most threatened birds, has suffered its worst nesting season ever, according to RSPB research. The number of chicks making it through to fledging has decreased rapidly and is now five times lower than it should be because introduced predatory mice are eating the chicks alive on Gough island - the bird's only home and a South Atlantic territory of the United Kingdom. More

The Tristan Albatross (Diomedea dabbenena) is a large seabird from the albatross family. One of the great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea, it was only recognised by some authorities as a full species in 1998. While not all scientists believe it is a full species, retaining it as a subspecies, the Wandering Albatross, a 2004 study of the mitochondrial DNA of the Wandering Albatross species complex supported the split. Other studies have shown it to be the most genetically distinct member of the Wandering superspecies. More

indicates bad news for the Tristan albatross, whose only home is Gough Island in the middle of the South Atlantic. House mice not native to the island are threatening the Tristan albatross with extinction, the RSPB said. The mice are also threatening the native population of bunting, one of the world's largest finches, the RSPB said. "Without removal of the mice, both the albatross and the bunting that live there are doomed to extinction," Grahame Madge, a conservation spokesman for the RSPB, told CNN. More

The decline of Tristan albatrosses here was probably due to predation by feral pigs and humans. Even though pigs are now absent from the island, the albatross population has not recovered. The reasons for this are unclear, but may be because young birds become entangled in thick vegetation. On Tristan, it's likely that humans played a big part in their decline, along with predation by rats, while on Gough Island, predation by the introduced house mouse causes very low breeding success. More

* Mice are endangering the Tristan albatross, whose only home is Gough Island * The mice eat albatross chicks before they make it to the fledgling stage * Mice also are threatening the native population of bunting, a large finch * Next Article in Technology » Decrease font Decrease font Enlarge font Enlarge font LONDON, England (CNN) - Predatory mice are critically More

Tristan Albatross is smaller and has a slightly darker back. Due to the difficulty in distinguishing them from Wandering Albatrosses, their distribution at sea is still not fully known, but the use of satellite tracking has shown that they forage widely in the South Atlantic, with males foraging west of the breeding islands towards South America and females to the east towards Africa. At sea, they feed mostly on squid, particularly from the family Histioteuthidae. More

Without conservation efforts, the Tristan albatross is doomed. More

Tristan Albatross has suffered its worst breeding season ever, according to research by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The number of fledgling chicks has decreased rapidly and it is now five times lower than it should be because introduced predatory mice are eating the chicks alive on Gough Island. The South Atlantic territory of the United Kingdom is the species' only habitat. More

A complete survey of the Tristan Albatross on Gough Island in January showed there were 1764 adult albatrosses incubating eggs. A later survey revealed that only 246 chicks had survived to fledging. "Tristan Albatross is being hit by a double whammy. The chicks are predated by mice and the adults and juveniles are being killed by longline fishing vessels", said John Croxall, Chair of BirdLife's Global Seabird Programme. "Unsustainable numbers are being killed on land and at sea. More

The Tristan Albatross is endemic to the Tristan Group, with nearly its whole population breeding on Gough Island. Photo: John Cooper. See below for large version of the poster. John Cooper, honorary Tristan Conservation Officer, presents a copy of a book on the natural history of Gough Island to outgoing Administrator, Mike Hentley, at the South African meteorological teams' takeover party on Gough in September 2007. More