Campbell albatross

Campbell albatross

Campbell mollymawk

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Thalassarche impavida

The Campbell albatross (Thalassarche impavida ) or Campbell mollymawk, is a medium-sized mollymawk in the albatross family. It breeds only on Campbell Island and the associated islet of Jeanette Marie, in a small New Zealand island group in the South Pacific. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the black-browed albatross. It is a medium-sized black and white albatross with a pale yellow iris.

Appearance

It weighs 3.21 kg (7.1 lb) and is 88 cm (35 in) long. The adult is very similar to the black-browed albatross, differing in eye color. It has a white head, neck, rump, and underparts, with a black upperwing, back, and tail. The underwing is white with broad black edging. It has a black triangle around the eye that reaches the bill, which is yellow with an orange tip. They also have a pale yellow iris. The juveniles have a brown-grey bill with a black tip, dark eyes and less black on the underwing. The average life expectancy is given as 28 years, though this is likely due to lack of study as most albatross can live to well beyond 50 years.

Distribution

Geography

The Campbell albatross breeds on the northern and western coastline of Campbell Island and the islet Jeanette Marie, part of the Campbell Islands group, one of New Zealand's five subantarctic island groups. When breeding they forage from South Island and the Chatham Rise to the Ross Sea. Juveniles and non-breeders will go only through south Australian water, the Tasman Sea, and southwestern Pacific Ocean.

Habits and Lifestyle

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

The Cambell albatross feeds on fish, squid, crustacea, carrion, and gelatinous organisms.

Mating Habits

Breeding birds like to nest on ledges and steep slopes covered with low grass, tussock, or mud. They start breeding at 10 years and they have a breeding success rate of 66%. Adults return to the breeding colony in early August and begin laying in late September. The single egg is incubated for around 70 days. The chicks fledge after about 130 days after hatching.

Population

Conservation

The IUCN classifies this species as vulnerable due to the limited number of breeding locations. The most recent estimate was in 1997 and counted 24,600 pairs. Between 1992 and 1997 sampled colonies have been increasing at the rate of 1.8%. Adult survival rate is at 94.5%. It has an occurrence range of 31,700,000 km2 (12,200,000 sq mi) and a breeding range of 13 km2 (5.0 sq mi).

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The largest threat to this species are fisheries, both longline and trawlers.

The feral sheep that existed on Campbell Island were fully eradicated by 1991, and rats and cats were eradicated by 2001. Finally, studies are ongoing.

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Coloring Pages

References

1. Campbell albatross Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell_albatross
2. Campbell albatross on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22728349/132657209

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