Wednesday 20 April 2022

Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris)

OTHER NAMES: Black-browed Mollymawk
Latin Etymology: Thalassarche ("sea governer") melanophris ("black eyebrow")

Adult Black-browed Albatross (subspecies T. m. melanophris) at Bempton Cliffs- East Yorkshire - April 2022

Featured Subspecies: Thelassarche melanophirs melanophris
Weight: 2.9-4.7kg  
Length: 85-90cm   
Wingspan: 200-240cm
NO UK STATUS IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The albatrosses are an iconic family of birds - they contain among their ranks some of the largest flying birds on earth with the greatest wingspans. They are also, however, conspicuously absent from the North Atlantic, being found in the Southern Hemisphere and North Pacific. There are, however, exceptions, like Albert here - odd Black-browed Albatross have been known to make their way into the North Atlantic, often associating with specific gannet colonies for years at a time. The Black-browed are no where near the largest species, but do dwarf birds like Gannets which are the largest British seabirds.

Related Species:
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Diomedeidae
Genus: Thalassarche
SUBSPECIES: T. m. melanophris, T. m. impavida

 - Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - An extremely rare vagrant, although odd individuals are known to recur annually fpr years at a time.
 - Seen at Bempton Cliffs in April 2022.

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