Birds Active day and night

Chatham Albatross

Thalassarche eremita

iNaturalist eBird Wikipedia

The Chatham Albatross is a magnificent navigator that breeds on only one tiny rock in the world. With its striking grey hood and golden bill, it is a master of the southern winds and a rare jewel of the Pacific.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length of 90 cm (35 in); wingspan of 220 cm (87 in); weight between 3.1 and 4.7 kg (6.8–10.4 lb)

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Colors

Slate-grey head, neck, and upper back; white underparts; dark grey-black upperwings; bright yellow bill with a dark spot at the tip of the lower mandible

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Key Features

Distinctive dark grey hood and neck
Bright orange-yellow bill with a dark tip
Smallest member of the 'shy albatross' group
Dark 'thumb-mark' at the base of the leading edge of the underwing

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active day and night

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Peak hours Daylight for foraging; active around the clock during nesting

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Season September-April

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Diet Primarily feeds on squid, small fish, and krill caught by surface-seizing or shallow plunges

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Habitat Pelagic open ocean and steep, isolated rocky islands for nesting

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Where Does the Chatham Albatross Live?

The Chatham Albatross is a true wanderer of the South Pacific, with its entire global breeding population concentrated on a single, steep-sided rock stack called The Pyramid in the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. When not tending to their nests, these birds range across a massive maritime territory that stretches from the southern waters of Australia across to the coast of South America. They are particularly common in the nutrient-rich Humboldt Current off Chile and Peru during the non-breeding season, making them a trans-Pacific icon of the high seas.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

4 Countries

35M km² Range

— Conservation

NZ New Zealand CL Chile PE Peru AU Australia

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

Chatham Albatrosses are master gliders, spending the vast majority of their lives far from land. They utilize dynamic soaring, a technique that involves harvesting energy from the wind gradients above waves, allowing them to travel hundreds of miles a day with hardly a single wingbeat. While they are mostly solitary at sea, they are colonial nesters, returning to the same precarious rocky ledges year after year to reunite with their lifelong mates.

When foraging, they are opportunistic and bold. They are frequently seen following fishing vessels, where they compete aggressively with other seabirds for discarded scraps. On their breeding colony at The Pyramid, they exhibit complex social displays including bill-clacking and mutual preening to reinforce pair bonds. Despite their grace in the air, they are somewhat clumsy on land, requiring high ledges to launch themselves back into the wind.

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Camera Tips

Capturing a Chatham Albatross on camera is a unique challenge because they are strictly pelagic. For those using trail cameras on coastal properties or during authorized research trips, the best placement is on high, windward-facing cliffs or ridges. These birds rely on updrafts to take off and land, so positioning your camera at a 'launch point' or overlooking a known nesting ledge will yield the best results. Set your camera at a height of about 2 to 3 feet to capture eye-level interactions.

Because these birds move with incredible speed when gliding, your camera settings are critical. Use a very high shutter speed (1/2000s or faster if manual controls are available) to avoid motion blur. If you are using an AI-powered camera like those from EverydayEarth, ensure the 'Bird' detection mode is active and set the trigger sensitivity to high. Wide-angle lenses are often better than telephotos for cliffside setups, as they capture the bird's massive wingspan and the dramatic oceanic background.

While we never recommend baiting wild albatrosses—as it can lead to dangerous habituation and interference with their natural diet—you can improve your chances of a 'visit' by placing your camera near natural features like prominent boulders that birds use for perching. The best lighting occurs during the 'golden hours' of dawn and dusk, which highlights the soft grey textures of their plumage against the dark sea. During the breeding season (September to April), activity is at its peak, providing the most frequent opportunities for high-quality footage.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Chatham Albatross.

Salvin's Albatross

Salvin's has a paler grey head and a bill that is primarily greyish-green rather than bright yellow.

Shy Albatross

The Shy Albatross is larger with a much whiter head and a pale greyish-blue bill.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Chatham Albatrosses are active both day and night, especially when foraging at sea. However, their social interactions and nesting activities on land are most visible during daylight hours, particularly in the morning when the wind picks up.

Unfortunately, you cannot attract these birds to a typical backyard. They are pelagic seabirds that never come inland. They are only seen on the remote Chatham Islands or from boats in the open ocean of the South Pacific.

Their diet consists mainly of squid, fish, and crustaceans. They are surface-feeders, meaning they grab their prey from the top layer of the water or perform very shallow dives.

No, they are never found in suburban areas. They spend their entire lives at sea or on an isolated, uninhabited rock stack in the middle of the ocean.

The Chatham Albatross has a much darker grey head and neck compared to the Salvin's. Additionally, the Chatham has a bright yellow bill, whereas the Salvin's bill is a paler greyish-green with a yellow ridge.

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