email a friend
printable version
closeVU
Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma
IUCN Red List Criteria
| Critically Endangered | |
| Endangered | |
| Vulnerable | A4bd |
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Vulnerable |
| 2010 | Vulnerable |
| 2008 | Vulnerable |
| 2007 | Vulnerable |
| 2005 | Vulnerable |
| 2004 | Vulnerable |
| 2003 | Vulnerable |
| 2000 | Vulnerable |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | shelf island |
Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 1,800 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 79,100,000 | medium |
| Area of Occupancy breeding/resident (km2) | 1,800 | medium |
| Number of locations | 11-100 | - |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | 250000 | medium | Estimated | 2012 |
| Population trend | Decreasing | medium | - | |
| Number of subpopulations | 7 | - | - | - |
| Largest subpopulation | 100000 | - | - | - |
| Generation length (yrs) | 30 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: There are an estimated c.96,000 pairs breeding per year of this biennial species, based on annual breeding population estimates of 48,000 pairs on South Georgia (Poncet <I>et al</I>. 2006), c.7,295 pairs on Marion Island in 2011 (ACAP 2012, although noting that number of pairs fluctuates between years), 2,000 pairs on Prince Edward Island (Ryan et al. 2009), 7,800 pairs on Campbell Island (Moore 2004), 17,187 pairs in Chile (ACAP 2012), and populations on Macquarie Island, Crozet and Kerguelen as given in Gales (1998) (84, 5,946 and 7,905 pairs respectively). This sums to an estimate of c.96,000 pairs breeding each year, equivalent to at least 250,000 mature individuals (Croxall and Gales 1998, Brooke 2004). | ||||
|
Trend justification: Documented declines to date suggest the population has decreased by 15% since the mid-1980s; if current trends continue into the future, declines can be expected to equate to 49% over three generations (90 years). However, given the uncertainty around these estimates, particularly in the future, and the long trend period, we provisionally estimate a decline of 30-49% over 90 years. In the absence of count data from many colonies, several subpopulations have been assumed to have remained stable. If similar declines to those on the Campbell Islands were found to have occurred in other colonies, the rate of decline would be higher. Conversely, the population on Marion Island has reported a population increase from 1988-2011 (ACAP 2012). Count data from colonies lacking more recent information would enable more accurate assessment of trends. | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | Vagrant | No | |||
| Antarctica | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Argentina | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Australia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bouvet Island (to Norway) | Unknown | No | |||
| Brazil | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Chile | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| French Southern Territories | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Heard Island and McDonald Islands (to Australia) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Namibia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| New Zealand | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Panama | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Peru | Unknown | No | |||
| South Africa | Native | No | Yes | ||
| South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands | Native | No | Yes | ||
| St Helena (to UK) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Uruguay | Native | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Antarctica | Atlantic, Antarctic 10 - Marine |  |
| Antarctica | Atlantic, Antarctic 11 - Marine | |
| Antarctica | Atlantic, Antarctic 12 - Marine | |
| Antarctica | Atlantic, Antarctic 13 - Marine | |
| Antarctica | Atlantic, Antarctic 14 - Marine | |
| Antarctica | Pacific, Antarctic 1 - Marine | |
| Antarctica | Pacific, Antarctic 2 - Marine | |
| Argentina | Islas Georgias del Sur | |
| Australia | Macquarie Island | |
| Chile | Islas Diego Ramírez y Rocas Norte | |
| Chile | Islas Ildefonso | |
| French Southern Territories | Île de l'Est | |
| French Southern Territories | Île de la Possession | |
| French Southern Territories | Île des Pingouins | |
| French Southern Territories | Îles des Apôtres | |
| French Southern Territories | Îles Nuageuses and Île Clugny | |
| High Seas | Atlantic, Antarctic 19 - Marine | |
| High Seas | Atlantic, Southwest 36 - Marine | |
| High Seas | Atlantic, Southwest 37 - Marine | |
| High Seas | Atlantic, Southwest 47 - Marine | |
| High Seas | Pacific, Southeast 20 - Marine | |
| High Seas | Pacific, Southeast 27 - Marine | |
| High Seas | Pacific, Southeast 29 - Marine | |
| High Seas | Pacific, Southeast 30 - Marine | |
| High Seas | Pacific, Southeast 31 - Marine | |
| High Seas | Pacific, Southeast 32 - Marine | |
| New Zealand | Campbell Island (and outliers) | |
| South Africa | Prince Edward Islands Special Nature Reserve | |
| South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands | South Georgia - mainland, islands, islets and stacks | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grassland | Subantarctic | major | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | major | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Oceanic | Epipelagic (0-200m) | major | breeding |
| Marine Oceanic | Epipelagic (0-200m) | major | non-breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources / Unintentional effects: (large scale) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Very Rapid Declines | High Impact: 8 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Decline | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Eggs | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Thalassarche chrysostoma. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013.
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.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Vulnerable |
| Family | Diomedeidae (Albatrosses) |
| Species name author | (Forster, 1785) |
| Population size | 250000 mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 1,800 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
|
|