Antipodean albatross

The Antipodean albatross (Diomedea antipodensis) (Māori: Toroa) is a large seabird in the albatross family. Its recognition as more than a subspecies of the wandering albatross is relatively recent, and still not accepted by all authorities (see further below). Antipodean albatrosses are smaller than other former wandering albatrosses, now called snowy albatrosses, and breed in predominantly brown plumage, but are otherwise difficult to distinguish from young snowy albatrosses (snowy albatrosses grow lighter in color with age, while the Antipodean stays darker).

The name Diomedea antipodensis includes the genus name Diomedea after the Greek warrior king Diomedes, whose companions turned to birds, and the species nameantipodensis, the Latin form of the Antipodes Islands, where they are found.

The Antipodean albatross belongs to the order Procellariiformes. Like all members of this order, they have naricorns, tubular nasal passages on their bill. They also have a unique palate with seven to nine bony plates. One of the great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea, it was only distinguished as a subspecies of the wandering albatross (now the snowy albatross) in 1992 and recognised by some authorities as a full species in 1998. While not all scientists believe it is a full species, retaining it with the wandering albatross, a 2004 study of the mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites of the wandering albatross species complex supported the split. Among the major experts, BirdLife International has split this species, Jim Clements has not yet, and the SACC has a proposal on the table to split it.

There are two sub-species; however there was a study in 1998 that suggested splitting this species, though this was not accepted in a 2004 study.

The Antipodean is large, at 110 cm (43 in) in length. Its breeding plumage is brown and white and its juveniles are similar in appearance to the snowy albatross. Breeding females have brown upper parts, and have white vermiculations on their back. Its face, throat, lower breast, and belly are white, and its undertail coverts are brown. Its underwings are also white, but with a dark tip. The bill of a small number of antipodensis, especially immatures and females, has a dusky tip to the lower mandible and can even appear to have a dark cutting edge to the upper mandible, like Amsterdam Island Albatross, especially when strongly backlit.

Breeding males are whiter than females, but not as white as the snowy albatross, and both sexes have a pink bill. The females of the nominate race have a dark brown breast band and the males have a darker cap, tail, and humeral flexure than gibsoni.

At sea Antipodean albatrosses range across the South Pacific from Australia to as far as Chile, from the Tropic of Capricorn south. The gibsonii seems to range to the east of Auckland Island, and the nominate race ranges to the east to Chile. They breed on the Auckland Islands, Antipodes Islands, and Campbell Island.

They feed predominantly on cephalopod and to a lesser extent fish (unlike other albatross species they are not recorded eating any crustaceans), and have been recorded visiting the spawning grounds of the giant cuttlefish off New South Wales. They nest on ridges, slopes, or plateaus, and will build their nest in the open or within patchy vegetation, such as tussock grassland.