Grey-headed albatross
Grey-headed albatross | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Procellariiformes |
Family: | Diomedeidae |
Genus: | Thalassarche |
Species: | T. chrysostoma
|
Binomial name | |
Thalassarche chrysostoma | |
Synonyms | |
Diomedea chrysostoma |
The grey-headed albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma) also known as the gray-headed mollymawk, is a large seabird from the albatross family. It has a circumpolar distribution, nesting on isolated islands in the Southern Ocean and feeding at high latitudes, further south than any of the other mollymawks. Its name derives from its ashy-gray head, throat and upper neck.
Taxonomy
Mollymawks are a type of albatross that belong to the family
Etymology
The name chrysostoma is derived from two
Description
The grey-headed albatross averages 81 cm (32 in) in length and 2.2 m (7.2 ft) in wingspan. Weight can range from 2.8 to 4.4 kg (6.2 to 9.7 lb), with a mean mass of 3.65 kg (8.0 lb).[6] It has a dark ashy-grey head, throat, and upper neck, and its upper wings, mantle, and tail, are almost black. It has a white rump, underparts, and a white crescent behind its eyes. Its bill is black, with bright yellow upper and lower ridges, that shades to pink-orange at the tip. Its underwings are white with a lot of black on the leading edge and less on the trailing edge. Juveniles have a black bill and head and a darker nape. Its eye crescent is indistinct and its underwing is almost completely dark.[7]
Range and habitat
Location | Population | Date | Trend |
---|---|---|---|
South Georgia Island |
48,000 pairs | 2006 | Declining |
Marion Island |
6,200 pairs | 2003 | Stable |
Prince Edward Islands | 3,000 pairs | 2003 | |
Campbell Island | 7,800 pair | 2004 | Declining |
Macquarie Island | 84 pairs | 1998 | |
Crozet Islands | 5,940 pairs | 1998 | |
Kerguelen Islands | 7,905 pairs | 1998 | |
Islas Diego Ramirez |
16,408 pairs | 2002 | |
Total | 250,000 | 2004 | Decreasing |
Grey-headed albatrosses nest in
Behaviour
Feeding
At sea the grey-headed albatross is highly
is less important as a food source for this species, reflecting their more pelagic feeding range. They are capable of diving as deep as 7 m (23 ft) to chase prey, but do not do so frequently.Reproduction
A single egg is laid in a large nest, typically built on steep slopes or cliffs with tussock grass,[7] and incubated for 72 days. Studies at South Georgia's Bird Island have shown that the growing chick is fed 616 g (21.7 oz) of food every 1.2 days, with the chick increasing in weight to around 4,900 g (170 oz). Chicks then tend to lose weight before fledging, which happens after 141 days. Chick will generally not return to the colony for 6–7 years after fledging, and will not breed for the first time until several years after that.[citation needed] If a pair has managed to successfully raise a chick it will not breed in the following year, taking the year off.[7] During this time spent away from the colony they can cover great distances, often circling the globe several times.
Conservation
The
Populations have been shrinking based on different studies.
To assist this species, studies are being undertaken at most of the islands. Also, Prince Edward Islands is a special nature preserve, and Campbell Island[31] and Macquarie Island[32] are World Heritage Sites.
Footnotes
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Brands, S. (2008)
- ^ Double, M. C. (2003)
- ^ Ehrlich, Paul R. (1988)
- ^ Gotch, A. F. (1995)
- ISBN 978-0-19-850125-1
- ^ a b c d e f g BirdLife International (2008)
- ^ Prince, et al. (1998)
- ^ Phillips, et al. (2004)
- ^ Nel, et al. (2001)
- ^ Clements, James (2007)
- ^ Prince (1980)
- ^ Cherel, et al. (2002)
- ^ Xavier, et al. (2003)
- ^ Arata, et al. (2004)
- ^ Croxall & Gales (1998)
- ^ Brooke, (2004)
- ^ Poncet, et al. (2006)
- ^ Crawford, et al. (2003)
- ^ Ryan, et al. (2003)
- ^ Moore (2004)
- ^ Arata & Morena (2002)
- ^ a b Gales (1998)
- ^ Croxall et al. (1998)
- ^ Nel et al. (2002)
- ^ Taylor, (2000)
- ^ CCAMLR (1997)
- ^ CCAMLR (1998)
- ^ Nel et al. (2002a)
- ^ Clay et al. (2019)
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Macquarie Island". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
References
- Arata, J.; Moreno, C. A. (2002). "Progress report of Chilean research on albatross ecology and conservation". Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources Working Group on Fish Stock Assessment.
- Arata, J.; Robertson, G.; Valencia, J.; Xavier, J. C.; Moreno, C. A. (2004). "Diet of Grey-headed Albatrosses at Diego Ramirez Islands, Chile: ecological implications" (PDF). Antarctic Science. 16 (3): 263–275. S2CID 51991611.
- BirdLife International (2008). "Grey-headed Albatross - BirdLife Species Factsheet". Data Zone. Retrieved 22 Feb 2009.
- Brands, Sheila (14 Aug 2008). "Systema Naturae 2000 / Classification - Diomedea subg. Thalassogeron -". Project: The Taxonomicon. Retrieved 22 Feb 2009.[permanent dead link]
- Brooke, M. (2004). "Procellariidae". Albatrosses And Petrels Across The World. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-850125-1.
- CCAMLR (1998). Report of the XVII Meeting of the Scientific Committee. Hobart. Hobart, Australia: Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - CCAMLR (1997). Report of the XVI Meeting of the Scientific Committee. Hobart. Hobart, Australia: Committee for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link) - Cherel, Y.; Weimerskirch, H.; Trouve, C. (2002). "Dietary evidence for spatial foraging segregation in sympatric albatrosses (Diomedea spp.) rearing chicks at Iles Nuageuses, Kerguelen". Marine Biology. 141 (6): 1117–1129. S2CID 83653436.
- Clay, T.A.; Small, C.; Tuck, G.N.; Pardo, D; Carneiro, A.P.B.; Wood, A.G.; Croxall, J.P.; Crossin, G.T.; Phillips, R.A. (2019). "A comprehensive large-scale assessment of fisheries bycatch risk to threatened seabird populations". Journal of Applied Ecology. 141 (6): 1117–1129. .
- ISBN 978-0-8014-4501-9.
- Crawford, R. J. M.; Cooper, J.; Dyer, B. M.; Greyling, M.; Klages, N. T. W.; Ryan, P. G.; Petersen, S.; Underhill, L. G.; Upfold, L.; et al. (2003). "Populations of surface nesting seabirds at Marion Island, 1994/95-2002/03". African Journal of Marine Science. 25 (1): 427–440. S2CID 83807556.
- Croxall, J. P.; Gales, R. (1998). "Assessment of the conservation status of albatrosses". In Robertson, G.; Gales, R. (eds.). Albatross biology and conservation. Chipping Norton, Australia: Surrey Beatty & Sons.
- Croxall, J. P.; Prince, P. A.; Rothery, P.; Wood, A. G. (1998). "Population changes in albatrosses at South Georgia". In Robertson, G.; Gales, R. (eds.). Albatross biology and conservation. Chipping Norton, Australia: Surrey Beatty & Sons. pp. 69–83.
- Croxall, J. P.; Silk, J.R.D.; Phillips, R.A.; Afanasyev, V.; Briggs, D.R. (2005). "Global Circumnavigations: Tracking year-round ranges of nonbreeding Albatrosses". Science. 307 (5707): 249–250. S2CID 28990783.
- del Hoyo, Josep, Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (1992). Handbook of Birds of the World Vol 1. Barcelona:Lynx Edicions, ISBN 84-87334-10-5
- Double, M. C. (2003). "Procellariiformes (Tubenosed Seabirds)". In Hutchins, Michael; Jackson, Jerome A.; Bock, Walter J.; Olendorf, Donna (eds.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8. Vol. Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins. Joseph E. Trumpey, Chief Scientific Illustrator (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 107–111. ISBN 978-0-7876-5784-0.
- Ehrlich, Paul R.; Dobkin, David, S.; Wheye, Darryl (1988). The Birders Handbook (First ed.). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. pp. 29–31. ISBN 978-0-671-65989-9.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - Gales, R. (1998). "Albatross populations: status and threats". In Robertson, G.; Gales, R. (eds.). Albatross biology and conservation. Chipping Norton, Australia: Surrey Beatty & Sons.
- Gotch, A. F. (1995) [1979]. "Albatrosses, Fulmars, Shearwaters, and Petrels". Latin Names Explained A Guide to the Scientific Classifications of Reptiles, Birds & Mammals. New York, NY: Facts on File. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-8160-3377-5.
- Moore, P. J. (2004). "Abundance and population trends of mollymawks on Campbell Island". Science for Conservation. 242. Wellington, NZ: Department of Conservation.
- Nel, D. C.; Lutjeharms, J. R. E.; Pakhomov, E. A.; Ansorge, I. J.; Ryan, P. G.; Klages, N. T. W. (2001). "Exploitation of mesoscale oceanographic features by Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma in the southern Indian Ocean". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 217: 15–26. .
- Nel, D. C.; Ryan, P. G.; Crawford, R. J. M.; Cooper, J.; Huyser, O. (2002). "Population trends of albatrosses and petrels at sub-Antarctic Marion Island". Polar Biology. 25 (2): 81–89. S2CID 11970816.
- Nel, D. C.; Ryan, P. G.; Watkins, B. P. (2002a). "Seabird mortality in the Patagonian Toothfish longline fishery around the Prince Edward Islands". Antarctic Science. 14 (2): 151–161. S2CID 83997049.
- Phillips, R. A.; Silk, J. R. D.; Phalan, B.; Catry, P.; Croxall, J. P. (2004). "Seasonal sexual segregation of two Thalassarche albatross species: competitive exclusion, reproductive role specialization or foraging niche divergence?". PMID 15306353.
- Poncet, S.; Robertson, G.; Phillips, R. A.; Lawton, K.; Phalan, B.; Trathan, P. N.; Croxall, J. P. (2006). "Status and distribution of wandering Black-browed and Grey-headed Albatrosses breeding at South Georgia". Polar Biology. 29 (9): 772–781. S2CID 21411990.
- Prince, P. A. (1980). "The food and feeding ecology of Grey-headed Albatross Diomedea chrysostoma and Black-rowed Albatross D. melanophris". Ibis. 122 (4): 476–488. .
- Prince, P. A.; Croxall, J. P.; Trathan, P. N.; Wood, A. G. (1998). "The pelagic distribution of South Georgia albatrosses and their relationships with fisheries". In Robertson, G.; Gales, R. (eds.). Albatross biology and conservation. Chipping Norton, Australia: Surrey Beatty & Sons.
- Ryan, P. G.; Cooper, J.; Dyer, B. M.; Underhill, L. G.; Crawford, R. J. M.; Bester, M. N. (2003). "Counts of surface-nesting seabirds breeding at Prince Edward Islands, Summer 2001/02". African Journal of Marine Science. 25 (1): 441–451. S2CID 84355648.
- Taylor, G. A. (2000). "Action plan for seabird conservation in New Zealand. Wellington: Department of Conservation". Threatened Species Occasional Publication. 16.
- Xavier, J. C.; Croxall, J. P.; Trathan, P. N.; Wood, A. G. (2003). "Feeding strategies and diets of breeding grey-headed and wandering albatrosses at South Georgia". Marine Biology. 143 (2): 221–232. S2CID 85569322.
External links
- Species factsheet - BirdLife International
- Photos and fact file - ARKive
- Photos - Christopher Taylor Nature Photography