It should be noted that the Snowy Albatross is the largest by far of all the Wandering Albatrosses being second in size only to the Southern Royal Albatross Diomedea epomophora which is only slightly larger. Gibson's Albatross (named after Dough Gibson, founder of the NSWASG) is about 40% smaller than the Snowy. (Lindsay Smith, SOSSA)
Peter Milburn photographed this bird 2004 at Wollongong. The bird was banded and its
identification confirmed with biometrics as part of SOSSA's programme.
Breeding areas
Subantarctic islands of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Also Macquarrie Island.
Breeding season
Mid-December-February onwards.
Dispersal migration
Subantarctic range. Fairly common in NZ seas with a northward shift in Winter. Breeds/disperses in alternate years.
To discover New Zealand’s unique bird-life and finest natural wonderlands, contact the specialists in custom designed birding tours for small groups, couples and individuals
Embark on a unique multi-day voyage of discovery that very few New Zealanders get to experience
See New Zealand with the birding experts
A warm current from the Australian Great Barrier Reef flows onto Stewart Island. This brings a much more diverse variety of marine creatures than would normally be found in waters of this latitude, a visit will have you wishing for more
Heritage Expeditions is New Zealand's longest established birding travel company
Albatross Encounter, is a well established pelagic boat tour operating from the picturesque coastal town of Kaikoura