Snowy Albatross — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideSnowy Albatross

Plumage highly variable, starting chocolate-brown with a white face and gradually becoming whiter over many years.

Spot this species Read on Wikipedia

⚠️Vulnerable

🍃Indigenous: Cape Sheep, White-Winged Albatross, Toroa, Man-Of-War Bird, Snowy Albatross

At a glance

FamilyAlbatrosses

SizeGiant

RarityCommon

HabitatPelagic; mostly over open ocean, coming near land around breeding islands and sometimes seen from headlands or boats.

Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from June to October.

Sounds

Sound sample

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Recorded by Barry Edmonston

Range map

Occurrence window

318visible hotspots

2268visible records

3states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Younger birds separated from Southern Royal Albatross by darker tail, brown markings on head and back, and lack of black “lips” on cutting edge of bill. Older birds more difficult to separate; focus on more coarsely marked upperwings, often with conspicuous white patch in center of wing, and lack of black “lips”. Often shows orange stain on cheek, never shown by Southern Royal. Identification from other Wandering-type Albatross, especially “Gibson’s” Antipodean and Tristan, extremely difficult and often presumed by range. Adult male Snowy is the whitest of any Wandering, but intermediate ages often best left unidentified.

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