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Tristan albatross
Breeding pairs remaining in the world: 1,500-2,400
Where do they breed?: Gough Island, Tristan da Cunha group (South Atlantic)
Wingspan: 350 cm
Length (beak to tail): 110 cm
Average lifespan: 40-60 years
Diet: Feeds on marine molluscs and fish. This albatross probably follows ships and trawlers for offal and galley refuse
Scientific name:Diomedea dabbenena
Threat level: Critically Endangered
Why they need your help
As the third rarest albatross in the world, almost the entire population breeds on Gough Island in the South Atlantic.
During the breeding season, adults forage around Tristan da Cunha, and in waters towards South America and south-west Africa.
In the non-breeding season, they feed around South Africa and southern Brazil, where they come into regular contact with longline fisheries. Ring recoveries indicate many Tristan albatrosses are caught off the Brazil coast.
Unfortunately, Inaccessible Island does not live up to its name. The decline of Tristan albatrosses here was probably due to predation by feral pigs and humans. Even though pigs are now absent from the island, the albatross population has not recovered. The reasons for this are unclear, but may be because young birds become entangled in thick vegetation.
On Tristan, it's likely that humans played a big part in their decline, along with predation by rats, while on Gough Island, predation by the introduced house mouse causes very low breeding success.
An additional threat on Gough Island are peat slips caused by storms, which bury and kill nestlings and adults. Thankfully, this is a very rare event.