Species profile
Southern Royal Albatross
Diomedea epomophora
Quick answer
occurs in southern seas and breeds in New Zealand, in the Auckland Islands (99 % of the population) and Campbell (ACAP, 2009) from November to March (Neves et al., 2006). After breeding, it migrates across the Pacific and Cape Horn to feed on the continental shelf of Argentina (including the Malvinas / Falklands) and southern Brazil, where it remains for months before migrating back across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans (Olmos, 2002 a; Neves et al., 2006). One chick banded in New Zealand in October 1976 was found dead almost one year later in RS, in August (Sick, 1997). Two specimens captured in RS in July and August were banded in Campbell (Olmos, 2002 a) and there are records in April, August, September and November for Rio Grande / RS (WikiAves, 2016).
- Scientific name
- Diomedea epomophora
- Family
- Diomedeidae
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Genus
- Diomedea
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
Recording Southern Royal Albatross in your journal
When you see this bird, log the sighting with the date, the place and any photos. If it's your first, Feather Journal marks it as a lifer and adds it to your life list automatically — no spreadsheet, no re-typing.
Related species in Diomedeidae
- Aldiomedes angustirostris (Aldiomedes angustirostris)
- Amsterdam Albatross (Diomedea amsterdamensis)
- Antipodean Albatross (Diomedea antipodensis)
- Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos)
- Black-browed albatros (Thalassarche melanophris)
- Brown Gooney (Phoebastria nigripes)
- Buller's Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri)
- Campbell albatross (Thalassarche impavida)