Skip navigation

Indian yellow-nosed albatross

Indian yellow-nosed albatross (artwork)

Breeding pairs remaining in the world: 36,500
Where do they breed?: Sub-Antarctic islands in the Indian Ocean, principally Amsterdam Island
Wingspan: 176 cm
Length (beak to tail): 76 cm
Average lifespan: Up to 30 years
Diet: Feed mainly on fish, lobsters, shrimp and squid
Scientific name:Thalassarche carteri
Threat level: Endangered

Why they need your help

Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses occur throughout the Indian Ocean, where they are caught in several fisheries - mainly adults in the winter months and young birds during the summer fishing season.

During the breeding season, adults come into regular contact with tuna longliners in subtropical waters, and birds (mostly adult males) have been taken by Patagonian toothfish longliners around Prince Edward Islands.

Yellow-nosed albatrosses are also killed in open-ocean longline fisheries, and trawl fisheries off southern Africa.

The spread of two diseases through the Amsterdam Island population in the early 1980s killed virtually all the chicks, as well as a number of adults.

There is concern that these diseases might have spread to the other species of albatross (Amsterdam and sooty) that nest on the Island.

What can I do?

Support the Albatross Task Force. These dedicated individuals are working with fishermen at sea in rough conditions, as well as onshore, showing them how to prevent albatross deaths.

What can I do?

Support the work of the RSPB by becoming a member. You'll not only be helping our work to save the albatross, but also providing vital support to our birds and wildlife, and the habitats they depend on.

In more depth