A photo gallery of vagrant Thalassarche albatrosses UPDATED

Individual "mollymawk" albatrosses of the genus Thalassarche are occasionally recorded ashore, and even attempting to breed, within colonies of species of the same genus outside their normal breeding ranges (click here for a review).  Here is a photo gallery of six of these vagrant mollies, with thanks to the photographers.

Male White-capped Albatross incubating on Bird Island, South Georgia (Islas Georgias del Sur).  The bird is partnered with a Black-browed Albatross.  Photograph by Richard Phillips

Salvin's Albatross next to an incubating Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross on Gough Island.  Photograph by Paul Visser

 

Incubating "shy-type" albatross Thalassarche cauta/steadi on Prince Edward Island with Grey-headed Albatrosses in the background. Partner unknown. Photograph by Peter Ryan

The Prince Edward Island "shy-type" albatross.  Photograph by Peter Ryan




References:

 Arata, J. 2003.  New record of Salvin's Albatross (Thalassarche salvini) at the Diego Ramirez Islands, Chile.  Notornis 50: 169-171.

Oosthuizen, W.C., Dyer, B.M. & de Bruyn, P.J.N. 2009.  Vagrant birds ashore at the Prince Edward Islands, southern Indian Ocean, from 1987 to 2009.  African Journal of Marine Science 31: 445-450.

Phalan, B., Phillips, R.A. & Double, M.C. 2004.  A White-capped Albatross, Thalassarche [cauta] steadi, at South Georgia: first confirmed record in the south-western Atlantic.  Emu 104: 359-361.

Ryan, P.[G]. 2009.  The world of birds.  Sixth albatross species breeding on Prince Edward Island.  Africa Birds & Birding 14(2): 14.

Ryan, P.G., Jones, M.G.W., Dyer, B.M., Upfold, L. & Crawford, R.J.M. 2009.  Recent population estimates and trends in numbers of albatrosses and giant petrels breeding at the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands.  African Journal of Marine Science 31: 409-417.

Visser, P., Louw, H., Cuthbert, R.[J.] & Ryan, P.[G.] 2009.  Salvin's Albatross Thalassarche salvini on Gough Island, South Atlantic.  Bulletin of the African Bird Club 16: 215-216.

 Photographs by Javier Arata, Instituto Antartico Chileno; Richard Phillips, British Antarctic Survey; Genevieve Jones and Peter Ryan, FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town; and Paul Visser, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds,  UPDATED 20 April 2010.

The Agreement on the
Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

ACAP is a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters by coordinating international activity to mitigate known threats to their populations.

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