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3

Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta) Alternate name(s): "Shy Mollymawk"; "White-capped Albatross" (race "steadi") Size: 0.9-1.0 m; wing span 2.1-2.6 m Weight: 3.3-4.9 kg

Australia: Family Group 3 Family Group 3 table Southern Fulmar Antarctic Petrel Cape Petrel Mottled Petrel Black-winged Petrel Providence Petrel Kermadec Petrel Soft-plumaged Petrel Tahiti Petrel Buller's Shearwater Wedge-tailed Shearwater Flesh-footed Shearwater Sooty Shearwater Short-tailed Shearwater Fluttering Shearwater Hutton's Shearwater Little Shearwater Antarctic Prion Slender-billed Prion Fairy Prion Southern Giant-Petrel Northern Giant-Petrel Light-mantled Albatross Wandering Albatross Southern Royal Albatross Northern Royal Albatross Black-browed Albatross Campbell Albatross Buller's Albatross Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Shy Albatross Common Diving-Petrel Wilson's Storm-Petrel New Zealand Storm-Petrel White-faced Storm-Petrel Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Shy Albatrosses are very big seabirds with an almost all-white plumage. Adult birds have a very narrow black fringe all around the wings. The bill is greyish-yellow, with a dark grey or yellow tip, the eyes are black. (Parts of the) head and neck are light-grey; the tail is grey. The base of the upper mandible of race "cauta" has a yellow wash, whereas that of race "steadi" is grey like the rest of the bill. Juvenile birds have all dark-grey bodies and upperwings, with a white face. In immature birds body and upperwings gradually moult into the white adult plumage, in various stages of mottled black-and-white.

Taxonomy, classification See Shy Albatross at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Shy Albatross is available HERE . The range of the Shy Albatross is circumpolar, encompassing all southern oceans. After reclassification in the mid-2000s, there are now two accepted races of Shy Albatrosses, "cauta" and "steadi". Race "cauta", which breeds on Albatross Island (in the Bass Strait) and on Mewstone and Pedra Branca (off the South coast of Tasmania), is most commonly found around southern Australia, up to the tropic of Capricorn. This race also most commonly reaches coastal waters off the Australian continent. Race "steadi" breeds off New Zealand and is found less commonly around Australia and in particular less commonly close to shore. Shy Albatrosses are pelagic birds that spend most of their time out on the open ocean and in coastal waters. They breed on offshore islands.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "cauta" B. Hensen reports spotting a Shy Albatross, race "cauta", off the coast of NSW near Wattamolla, Royal NP, NSW, in June 2013. We have seen a Shy Albatross, race "cauta", on a pelagic to the edge of the continental shelf, 22 nautical miles (40 km) from Terrigal, NSW, in July 2013. M. Eaton reports finding Shy Albatrosses of both races, "cauta" and "steadi", on a pelagic off Eaglehawk Neck, TAS, in September 2021. Race "steadi" M. Eaton reports finding Shy Albatrosses of both races, "cauta" and "steadi", on a pelagic off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, in September 2021.

Photos

Race "cauta"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Shy Albatross; note the yellow wash to the base of the bill which is characteristic of race "cauta"
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Near-frontal view of a Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Close-up near-lateral view of two Shy Albatrosses (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of two Shy Albatrosses, with one extending its wings (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Frontal comparison of a Shy Albatross, left back, with a Black-browed Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Near-lateral view onto the underwing pattern of a Shy Albatross in flight (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Near-lateral view onto the upperwing pattern of a Shy Albatross in flight (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a Shy Albatross skimming the waves (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

While on the water, the difference in size between a Shy Albatross and a Southern Royal Albatross appears to be small, but with their wings spread in flight, the difference becomes clear (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of an immature Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Frontal view of an immature Shy Albatross in flight
[22 NM (40 km) ESE of Terrigal, NSW, July 2013]

Near-frontal/ventral view of an immature Shy Albatross
[22 NM (40 km) ESE of Terrigal, NSW, July 2013]

Lateral/ventral view of an immature Shy Albatross
[22 NM (40 km) ESE of Terrigal, NSW, July 2013]

Near-dorsal view of an immature Shy Albatross in flight
[22 NM (40 km) ESE of Terrigal, NSW, July 2013]

Distant view of a Shy Albatross, right, followed by a Black-browed Albatross, left (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Near Wattamolla, Royal NP, NSW, June 2013]

Race "steadi"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a Shy Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral comparison of a Shy Albatross, front, with a Black-browed Albatross (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Food, Diet

Shy Albatross competing with a Black-browed Albatross for food scraps (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

Shy Albatross grabbing food scraps (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, September 2021]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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