Chatham Albatross (Thalassarche eremita) - BirdLife species factsheet

show additional data

VU	Chatham Albatross Thalassarche eremita

2010 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN): Vulnerable

Justification This species has been downlisted as there is no evidence of ongoing habitat degradation at its one breeding site (The Pyramid) and the global population is either stable or increasing. It remains Vulnerable as it has a very small breeding range rendering it susceptible to stochastic events and human impacts.

Family/Sub-family Diomedeidae

Species name author Murphy, 1930

Taxonomic source(s) Brooke (2004), Robertson and Nunn (1998)

Taxonomic note Diomedea cauta (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into cauta, eremita and salvini following Brooke (2004) and steadi following ACAP (2006) and all placed in the genus Thalassarche following Brooke (2004).

Identification 90 cm. Medium-sized, black-and-white albatross with dark thumbmark at base of leading edge of underwing. Adult has dark grey crown, face and throat. Dark grey upper mantle. Grey-black back, upperwing and tail. White rump. White underparts with black thumbmark, narrow leading and trailing wing edges, and wing tip. Yellow bill with dark spot at tip of lower mandible. Juvenile, grey areas more extensive and blue-grey bill has black tips to both mandibles. Similar spp. Slightly smaller than White-capped Albatross T. steadi that has a grey-yellow bill and pale head; Salvin's Albatross T. salvini has a smaller, darker bill and silver-grey cap.

Population estimate	Population trend	Range estimate (breeding/resident)	Country endemic?
11,000	stable	47,000,000 km²	No

Range & population Thalassarche eremita breeds only on The Pyramid, a large rock stack in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Aerial photographs indicated that the breeding population was between 3,200 and 4,200 pairs², but ground counts between 1999-2003 and in 2007 revealed c.5,300 occupied sites^8,13. Counts in recent years and aerial photographs from as 1973, 1974 and 1991 suggest that the population is stable¹⁶. Satellite tracking (1997-1999) and other observations indicate that it disperses within the south Pacific Ocean west to Tasmania and east to Chile and Peru. During April-July (the non-breeding season) birds migrate to the south-west coast of South America and transit northwards with the Humboldt Current into Peruvian coastal waters, as far north as 6°S^8,9. Up to 90% of the wintering time (3-4 months) is spent in the territorial waters of Chile and Peru, which, based on at-sea data collected between 1980 and 1995, support c.73% of the estimated global population^9,10 (3,900-6,790 birds were estimated to be using the Humboldt Current each autumn, with very few there during the spring)¹⁰. An estimated 1,200-1,500 chicks fledged each year between 1993 and 1995, 2,100 of which were banded².

Ecology: Behaviour Eggs are laid September-October, hatching November-December and fledging in March-April³. The earliest recorded breeding age is seven years, but birds return to the colony at the age of four¹⁶. Habitat Breeding It usually nests on rocky ledges and steep slopes. At sea the species appears to be largely pelagic, showing less preference for waters along the continental shelf than congeners. Diet The diet has not been well studied but it is thought to feed mostly on cephalopods and fish³.

Threats In 1985, a reduction in the extent and condition of vegetation on the islet occurred due to an extreme storm, with a resultant loss of soil cover. As a result, there was an increased probability of nest collapse, due to reduced moisture retention², though the impact was not as severe as that on Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi on the Sisters and Forty-Fours Islands ¹². Since 1998, there has been some improvement in soil and vegetation cover⁸. Parts of the colony that have been exposed to recent storms have had very low productivity², although overall c.60% of nests hatched young between 1997-2000⁸. Mortality has been recorded in pelagic and demersal longline fisheries in New Zealand¹¹, with one incident involving 12 birds among 36 albatrosses killed by one longline vessel in the Chatham Rise area in 2007¹⁴. Birds also attend trawlers off both the east (mainly) and west coast (rarely) of New Zealand, and have been caught in trawl wires. Three banded or tagged birds have been reported as caught by coastal longline fisheries in Chile and Peru, 1995-1999⁸, and mortality levels in these regions are potentially the most serious threat to the species. Illegal harvesting of chicks may occur occasionally and, although numbers are apparently small, this may have some effect on the population⁶.

Conservation measures underway ACAP Annex 1. In 1995 detailed population studies commenced, and a five year study funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries began in 2006. The islet is privately owned⁶. In 2008 New Zealand government introduced compulsory measures to mitigate the effects of long-lining on seabirds.

Conservation measures proposed Continue accurate ground census over three consecutive years. Repeat census at five-year intervals. Correlate aerial and ground counts. Resolve issue of chick harvesting with local community. Discuss protection options with the owners of The Pyramid. Develop and effectively implement mitigation techniques to minimise fisheries bycatch, particularly by longliners.

References 2. Croxall and Gales (1998). 3. Marchant and Higgins (1990). 6. Taylor (2000). 8. Robertson et al. (2003). 9. BirdLife International (2004). 10. Spear et al. (2003). 11. New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries (2007). 12. P. Scofield in litt..(2007). 13. C. J. R. Robertson in litt. (2008). 14. Anon (2007). 15. BirdLife International (2008). 16. ACAP (2009).

Further web sources of information

Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) species/site profile. This species has been identified as an AZE trigger due to its IUCN Red List status and limited range.

Australian Govt - Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000 - Recovery Outline

New Zealand Govt - Dept of Conservation - Recovery Plan

Text account compilers Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Rob Calvert (BirdLife International), Deon Nel (WWF South Africa), Alison Stattersfield (BirdLife International), Ben Sullivan (BirdLife International Global Seabird Programme), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Contributors B. D. Bell (Wildlife Management International), D. Bell (Wildlife Management International), Rachel McClellan (BirdLife International), Janice Molloy (Department of Conservation), Peter Moore (Department of Conservation), Christopher Robertson (Wild Press Laboratory), Paul Scofield (Canterbury Museum), Jean-Claud Stahl (National Museum of New Zealand), Graeme A. Taylor (Department of Conservation), Kath Walker (Department of Conservation)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Rob Calvert (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2010) Species factsheet: Thalassarche eremita. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 30/7/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums