Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Phoebastria ("prophetess") nigripes ("black foot") 

Adult Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) on Half Moon Bay Pelagic September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 2.6-4.3kg  /  Length: 68-74cm  /  Wingspan: 190-220cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The Black-footed Albatross breeds almost exclusively in the Northwestern Islands of Hawai'i but roams over the entire Northern Pacific. Unusually for an albatross, they have dark plumage throughout their life cycle, save for a slight white mask. They are considered near threatened as they are at risk from fishing, oil spills, floating plastics and on one of it's breeding island, volcanic eruptions. With so much of it's population centred breeding on a small area it is also vulnerable to disasters.

Related Species:
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Diomedeidae
Genus: Phoebastria
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES Hawai'ian: Ka‘upu
Found throughout the North Pacific, breeding in Hawai'i
- CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen on the Half Moon Bay Pelagic Trip

 Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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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.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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