Bird guideWhite-capped Albatross

The gray-green bill has a yellowish tip to both mandibles.

⚠️Endangered
🍃Indigenous: Wool-Wool, Shy Mollymawk, White-Capped Molymawk, White-Capped 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 Victoria from June to August.

Sounds

Sound sample
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Recorded by Barry Edmonston

Range map

Range map

200approx hotspots
21112approx 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

Juveniles are grayer on the head with gray bills. The species breeds on islands off Tasmania and New Zealand but disperses widely across the southern Oceans between 15 and 60°S, where it is a frequently encountered pelagic seabird. Similar albatrosses have a dark-tipped (not pale-tipped) lower half to the bill, and Salvin’s Albatross has a pale gray head and Chatham Albatross a slaty-gray head, further differentiating them from White-capped Albatross. Juveniles of these three are very difficult to separate.

Behavior

The adult has a whitish head with grayish cheeks that give it a “white-capped” appearance.

Regional timing

New South Wales
Peak: June to October3,267 records
Victoria
Peak: June to August6,612 records
Western Australia
Peak: September to October45 records
Tasmania
Peak: October to February3,774 records
South Australia
Peak: February to May208 records
Queensland
Peak: March75 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: June to July18 records
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