Birds Active day and night

Gray-headed Albatross

Thalassarche chrysostoma

iNaturalist eBird Wikipedia

A majestic voyager of the Southern Ocean, the Gray-headed Albatross is famous for its striking slate plumage and its ability to circle the entire globe in just six weeks.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length of 81 cm (32 in) with a wingspan of 2.2 m (7.2 ft); weight ranges from 2.8 to 4.4 kg (6.2–9.7 lbs).

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Colors

Ashy-gray head, throat, and neck; dark gray mantle and tail; white underparts. Bill is black with bright yellow ridges on the top and bottom and a pinkish tip.

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Key Features

Distinctive slate-gray head and neck
Black bill with bright yellow stripes on the culmen and lower mandible
Large 7-foot wingspan with dark upperwings
White underwings with narrow black margins

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active day and night

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Peak hours Most active during daylight for foraging; uses moonlight for night-time squid hunting.

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Season October to May (breeding and nesting season)

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Diet Primarily feeds on squid (especially ommastrephids), but also consumes fish, crustaceans, and lampreys. They forage by seizing prey from the water surface or performing shallow plunges.

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Habitat Open pelagic waters of the Southern Ocean; nests on steep, grass-covered slopes or rocky cliffs on remote sub-antarctic islands.

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Where Does the Gray-headed Albatross Live?

The Gray-headed Albatross is a true circumpolar wanderer of the Southern Hemisphere, circling the globe in the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Southern Ocean. They are most commonly found nesting on isolated island outposts such as South Georgia, the Kerguelen Islands, and Macquarie Island. During the non-breeding season, they migrate north into more temperate waters, frequently reaching the coasts of South America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

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6 Countries

79M km² Range

Endangered Conservation

French Southern Territories South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands CL Chile AU Australia NZ New Zealand ZA South Africa

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

The Gray-headed Albatross is a master of the Southern Ocean winds, spending the vast majority of its life at sea. It utilizes a flight technique called 'dynamic soaring,' which allows it to travel thousands of miles with minimal wing flapping by leveraging wind gradients above the waves. Unlike many other birds, they are biennial breeders, typically nesting only every second year because the process of raising a single chick is so energy-intensive.

These birds are largely solitary when foraging but become highly social on their remote nesting islands, where they build large pedestal nests out of mud and grass. They are known for their incredible endurance; a single bird can circumnavigate the Southern Ocean in just 46 days. While they generally avoid human contact, they are frequently seen following fishing vessels to scavenge for discarded offal, a behavior that unfortunately puts them at risk of accidental capture.

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Camera Tips

Capturing a Gray-headed Albatross on camera is a challenge reserved for those in coastal southern regions or on research expeditions. For those on sub-antarctic islands, place cameras on high, wind-swept ridges or tussock-covered slopes where the birds build their pedestal nests. Because of the intense Southern Ocean winds, use heavy-duty mounts or weighted tripods to prevent camera shake or the loss of equipment.

Set your camera to a fast shutter speed (at least 1/1000s) to freeze the motion of these high-speed flyers. If you are monitoring a nest site, use a time-lapse setting with 15-minute intervals to capture behavior without filling the SD card too quickly, as these birds spend long periods brooding. Ensure your camera housing is rated for extreme cold and high-salinity environments, as salt spray can quickly corrode standard electronics.

Since these birds are sensitive to disturbance, avoid using bright white flashes at night; instead, opt for high-quality No-Glow infrared sensors. Place the camera at a distance of at least 5 to 10 meters from the nest to avoid stressing the parents. If you are on a vessel, mounting a camera to the stern rail with a gimbal can help stabilize shots of the birds following the wake.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Gray-headed Albatross.

Black-browed Albatross

Has a pure white head and an orange bill, whereas the Gray-headed has a slate-gray head and a black/yellow bill.

Buller's Albatross

Smaller with a more distinct white 'cap' on the gray head and a differently patterned yellow-and-black bill.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Gray-headed Albatrosses are active both day and night. They utilize daylight for long-distance soaring and spotting fish, but they are particularly active at night when many species of squid—their primary food source—rise to the ocean surface to feed.

Because these are strictly pelagic birds, they cannot be attracted to a traditional backyard. They live almost their entire lives at sea or on remote, uninhabited islands. The best way to see them is via boat excursions in the Southern Ocean or from coastal lookouts in places like southern Chile or New Zealand during heavy storms.

Their diet consists mainly of squid, followed by fish and various crustaceans. They are 'surface-seizers,' meaning they land on the water and grab prey with their beaks, though they are capable of shallow dives if they spot something just below the surface.

No, they are never found in suburban or inland areas. They are highly specialized for life on the open ocean and only touch land to breed on specific, rugged sub-antarctic islands.

The easiest way is the head and the bill. The Gray-headed Albatross has a fully ash-gray head and a black bill with bright yellow stripes. The Black-browed Albatross has a white head with a dark 'eyebrow' and a solid orange-yellow bill.

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