Albatross

Bennyboy87654 · Postby **Bennyboy87654** » Fri Oct 06, 2017 7:12 pm

Hi
Was wondering if this could perhaps be a Snowy Albatross, was seen out of Kaikoura last weekend.

Thanks

Clinton9 · Postby **Clinton9** » Fri Oct 06, 2017 9:59 pm

Yes this is Snowy wandering albatross.

Races of wandering albatrosses are very difficult to tell apart, if not banded at breeding islands as chicks.

Snowy race moult its juvenile body plumage when 1 1/2 year old (2nd autumn at sea), with new white immature plumage, then when it is 2 year old, it replace primaries 8th to 10th, and body and wing coverts moults all brown juvenile feathers and replaced with white feathers.

3-year-old Snowy had white bodies, and much whiter wing coverts than Gibson's race.

4-year-old Gibson's race P34 still had brown feathers on neck and crown and black wings with small white patch in tertiary coverts and inner greater wing coverts and worn juvenile middle secondaries.

Snowy race are the whitest race of wandering albatross, followed by Gibson's race which is second whitest race of wandering albatross.

Postby **sav** » Sat Oct 07, 2017 2:25 pm

Clinton is absolutely correct that wandering albatrosses are hard to separate.

I don't think one can say with any certainty that this is a Snowy - it could be, but there isn't anything in the plumage that makes it certain. My feeling is that this is most likely an older NZ Wandering Albatross (Gibson's Alb), because it just doesn't look (to me) massive enough for a Snowy.

The literature has some very misleading, contradictory, information about big albatross identification.

cheers

Bennyboy87654 · Postby **Bennyboy87654** » Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:37 pm

Thanks for the help, This bird certainly had less black on the wings then others I saw. I've never been good at identifying seabirds, im getting better with petrels and shearwaters, but trying to determine the differences between the Wanderings is not something im able to do.

Thanks

Postby **Davidthomas** » Sat Oct 07, 2017 4:40 pm

Are there any shots with it near any other albies to give us some scale? As that can help with the id.

Bennyboy87654 · Postby **Bennyboy87654** » Sat Oct 07, 2017 8:30 pm

Davidthomas wrote:Are there any shots with it near any other albies to give us some scale? As that can help with the id.

Unfortunatly not, it was on its own

Clinton9 · Postby **Clinton9** » Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:22 pm

I am afraid nobody live in NZ is studying the plumages, races, moults, immature plumages of Wandering albatrosses.

I am studying the plumages, races, moults, immature plumages of Wandering albatrosses, using photos in computer, but I had not sorted the plumages of wandering albatrosses yet, through I know how to age the wandering albatrosses up to 5 years old, but birds older than 6 years are more difficult to age than juvenile to 6-year-old. Males shed juvenile middle secondaries at age of 4 year old, but female keep juvenile middle secondaries until 5 year-old.

: _DS_0451b.JPG (225.6 KiB) Viewed 2504 times

Juvenile, less than 13 month-old, 1-year-old (2nd winter), 3-year-old female Gibson's albatross

: _DS_0451b.JPG (225.6 KiB) Viewed 2504 times

3-year-old male Snowy albatross. Still had juvenile middle primaries and juvenile outer, middle, inner secondaries.

: _DS_0451b.JPG (225.6 KiB) Viewed 2504 times

2 1/2 year-old female Antipodean albatross in moult, with black growing primaries 8th, readily had shed its juvenile primaries 10th few day ago.
The secondaries 1st to 4th either don't moult until next year or due to moult in few days. Tertaries are in moult, but hidden by scapulars feathers.
Note the moulting body. Length of primary 10th is not known yet.

I am sorry for three same photos of albatrosses in from juvenile to 3 year old, due to my computer had played up.