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Species at risk
Albatrosses used to be taken just for their feathers. Today, they face many more threats.
From introduced predators that attack eggs, chicks and nesting adults, to pollution, longline fishing and the serious decline in fish stocks largely due to overfishing, it is not surprising that albatross numbers have declined at such an alarming rate.
There are 22 species of albatross, and they can be split into four groups:
- Great - which have predominantly white plumage
- The mollymawks - medium-sized albatrosses with gull-like plumage, and brightly coloured orange or yellow beaks
- North Pacific - the most tropical of all the albatrosses. This group includes the Waved albatross which nests on the equator
- Sooty, or sooties - small albatrosses which have very distinctive black plumage
What's all this red list stuff?
Each albatross has been assigned a 'threat level' according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
It may be a bit of a mouthful to say, but this list is very important. By giving all species (not just albatrosses) a threat level, it becomes much easier to get across to policy makers, and you, the urgency with which we need to act to stop another life form from disappearing forever.
This is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN for a wild species. It means that there is an extremely high risk of the species becoming extinct.
Amsterdam albatross
Chatham albatross
Tristan albatross
Waved albatross
An endangered species is where a population is at risk of becoming extinct because numers are either too few, or it is threatened by a changing environment, or by predation.
Northern royal albatross
Sooty albatross
Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross
Indian yellow-nosed albatross
Black-footed albatross
Black-browed albatross
A vulnerable species is one which is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve.
Short-tailed albatross
Antipodean albatross
Southern royal albatross
Wandering albatross
Campbell albatross
Salvin's albatross
Grey-headed albatross
Laysan albatross
The ability of these record-breaking birds to circle the globe fills me with awe. Their untimely deaths are both shocking and preventable. Instead of being a casualty of man's greed, they should be allowed to reach the grand old age that their lives normally allow.
Richard Briers
Near Threatened is assigned to species which may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future. Species in this category are regularly re-evaluated.
Buller's albatross
Light-mantled albatross
Shy albatross
White-capped albatross