Grey-headed Albatross

The Grey-headed Albatross, Thalassarche chrysostoma, also known as the Grey-headed Mollymawk, is a large seabird from the albatross family. It has a circumpolar distribution, nesting on isolated islands in the Southern Ocean and feeding at high latitudes, further south than any of the other mollymawks. Its name derives from its ashy grey head, throat, and upper neck.

The Grey-headed Albatross is classified as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

The Grey-headed Albatross averages 81 cm (32 in) in length. It has a dark ashy-grey head, throat, and upper neck, and its upper wings, mantle, and tail, are almost black. It has a white rump, underparts, and a white crescent behind its eyes. Its bill is black with a bright yellow upper and lower ridges. It shades to pink-orange at the tip. Its underwings are white with a lot of black on the leading edge and less on the trailing edge. More

Juvenile Grey-headed AlbatrossRange and habitat Grey-headed Albatrosses nest in colonies on several islands in the Southern Ocean, with large colonies on South Georgia in the South Atlantic, and smaller colonies on Islas Diego Ramírez, Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Islands, Marion Island, and in the Indian Ocean, Campbell Island (New Zealand) and Macquarie Island south of New Zealand, and Chile. More

Physical description: Grey-headed albatross have a 2.2 metre wingspan, a white body, a bluish grey head and neck, and a dark grey back and tail. Distribution & Abundance - Grey-headed albatross breed on many subantarctic islands. More

One of the grey-headed albatross’ most distinguishing features is its black bill, which has bright yellow ridges along the top and bottom edges, ending in a pink tip (5). Additionally, a white crescent exists behind the eye. Juveniles have a predominantly black bill and head, a darker nape than adults, indistinct white eyebrows and virtually no white on the underwing (2). Range - The grey-headed albatross breeds on sub-Antarctic islands along with black-browed albatross (6). More

Grey-headed albatross chick, at one month© Ben Osborne / www.osfimages.com Grey-headed albatross chick on nest© Ben Osborne / www.osfimages.com Grey-headed albatross chick in snow© Ben Osborne / www.osfimages.com Wet grey-headed albatross chick© Ben Osborne / www.osfimages.com Grey-headed albatross chicks in colony© Michael Brooke / www.osfimages.com Grey-headed albatross chick begging adult for food© Ben Osborne / www.osfimages. More

Grey-headed Albatrosses nest in colonies on several islands in the Southern Ocean, with large colonies on South Georgia in the South Atlantic, and smaller colonies on Kerguelen Island, Crozet Island and Prince Edward Island in the Indian Ocean, and Campbell Island south of New Zealand. A single egg is laid in a large nest, and incubated for 72 days. Studies in South Georgia's Bird Island have shown that the growing chick is fed 616g of food every 1. More

Another view of the subadult Grey-headed Albatross shown in Fig. 1. Photograph copyright of Murray Lord More

Threats: The conservation status of grey-headed albatross is of concern as they are caught on long-lines in the Southern Ocean. Some populations are threatened as the number of birds caught on long-lines is a significant proportion of the population. Squid fisheries may also impact on the population in some areas. Colour/Looks: Small albatross with dark ashy-grey head, throat and upper neck. Blackish upper wings, mantle and tail. White rump. White crescent behind eye. More

At sea the Grey-headed Albatross is highly pelagic*, more so than other mollymawks, feeding in the open oceans rather than over the continental shelves. They feed predominantly on squid, taking also some fish. They are capable of diving as deep as 23 feet to chase prey, but do not do so frequently. Grey-headed Albatross lay a single egg in a large nest and incubated for 72 days. More

The Grey-Headed Albatross is generally to be found in subantartic seas. It has a body length of up to 1 metres and a wing span of 2 metres. - Details The Grey-Headed Albatross is a pelagic bird, that is, a bird that lives in open oceans and normally only come ashore to breed. It is to be found mainly in subantartic waters, where it lives on a diet of small fish, squid and crustaceans. More

Australian Antarctic Division The Grey-headed Albatross is possibly the most migratory member of its family Zoom In Around the world in 46 days = 14-01-2005 A new study has identified the year-round habitat of the Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma. This research offers further hope of reducing the unnecessary slaughter of this and other albatross species by long-line fisheries. More

This is a Grey-Headed Albatross chick - photographed in 1982 at South Georgia. All things being equal this bird will still be alive and in the prime of life. Their life history facts are awesome. They mature between the ages of 7 & 12 years old, over which time they choose a mate. They pair for life and live upward of 60 years. More

Grey-headed albatross sitting in grass - Andy Black (The RSPB) Grey-headed albatross close up of beak - Andy Black (The RSPB) Bird illustrations by Mike Langman (RSPB) More

Pair of Grey-headed Albatrosses (Thalassarche chrysostoma) in colony A, Bird Island" alt="Pair of grey-headed albatrosses (Thalassarche chrysostoma) in colony A, Bird Island"> Pair of grey-headed albatrosses (Thalassarche chrysostoma) in colony A, Bird Island Light-Mantled Sooty Albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) on a nest overlooking Johnson Cove at the end of Molly Ridge, Bird Island, South Georgia" alt="Light-mantled sooty albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) on a nest overlooking Johnson Cove at the end of Molly Ridge, Bird Island, South Georgia"> Light-mantled sooty albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata) on a nest overlooking Johnson Cove More

Grey-headed albatrosses on the brink in Australia = 16/11/2006 00:00:00 news/albatross Nov 2006. Invasive animal species are threatening the grey-headed albatross on Australia's Macquarie Island, the bird's only known breeding site in Australia, with the risk of extinction. Since the 1980s, rabbit numbers on the World Heritage-listed island 1500km south-east of Tasmania in the Southern Ocean, have jumped from about 10,000 to more than 100,000 today. More

breeding site for the grey-headed albatross in Australia. The suitable breeding area covers roughly 0.12 square kilometres, which is less than the size of a football field. The whole area has been devastated by rabbit grazing, confirmed during a recent field inspection involving WWF. Rabbits have killed nearly all the tall tussock grasses on Petrel Peak's steep slopes. This small area provides the only nesting habitat for the grey-headed albatross in Australia. More

one would expect for an older Grey-headed Albatross - and this appears to be a full adult based on extensive white in the underwing and prominent pink bill tip (both features of full adult Black-browed and Grey-headed Albatross). If you have more to contribute to the discussion please send an email to rohan 'at' wildlifeimages.com.au To compare with Buller's Albatross visit http://www.pbase.com/wildlifeimages/bullers_albatross To compare with Grey-headed Albatross visit http://www.pbase.com/wildlifeimages/grey_headed_albatross To compare with Black-browed Albatross visit http://www.pbase. More

Grey-Headed Albatross in Flight, South Georgia Photographic Print by Ben Osborne Grey-Headed Albatross in Flight, South Georgia Photographic Print by Ben Osborne Grey-Headed Albatross in Flight, South GeorgiaPhotographic Print 24 x 18 in Ben Osborne$39. More