Thalassarche bulleri
The Buller's Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri), also known as Buller's Mollymawk, is a striking medium-sized albatross characterized by its distinctive grey head and neck, contrasting with a pure white body and a dark grey-black upperwing. Its most notable field mark is the bright yellow bill, tipped with black and featuring a prominent black line along the cutting edge. Adults measure 76-81 cm (30-32 in) in length with an impressive wingspan of 200-213 cm (79-84 in) and weigh between 2.05-3.3...
This pelagic seabird breeds exclusively on remote, predator-free islands, typically on steep, grassy slopes or cliffs, spending the rest of its life foraging over vast stretches of the open ocean.
Their diet primarily consists of squid, fish, and crustaceans such as euphausiids, frequently supplemented by offal and discards from commercial fishing operations.
Buller's Albatrosses are colonial breeders, returning to the same nesting sites annually to reinforce long-term, monogamous pair bonds through elaborate courtship displays involving mutual bill-tapping, preening, head-shaking, and 'sky-pointing' postures. Nests are constructed as mounds of mud, s...
The breeding range of Buller's Albatross is restricted to a few remote subantarctic islands off New Zealand, specifically the Snares Islands and Solander Island (for the subspecies Thalassarche bulleri bulleri), and the Chatham Islands (for Thalassarche bulleri platei, which some taxonomists cons...
Near Threatened
- This species is named after Sir Walter Lawry Buller, a prominent New Zealand lawyer and ornithologist of the 19th century. - Buller's Albatrosses can live for over 30 years in the wild, returning to their breeding grounds annually after reaching maturity. - They lay only a single egg per breedi...