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Grey-Headed Albatross

Diomedea chrysostma
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The Grey-Headed Albatross is generally to be found in subantartic seas. It has a body length of up to 1 metres and a wing span of 2 metres.

Details
The Grey-Headed Albatross is a pelagic bird, that is, a bird that lives in open oceans and normally only come ashore to breed. It is to be found mainly in subantartic waters, where it lives on a diet of small fish, squid and crustaceans. Younger birds appear to feed mostly on lampreys.

Like other species of albatross, male and female raise a single chick once every two years. They generally breed in November, choosing sheltered flat ground on the subantartic islands.

The Wandering Albatross has a long hooked bill. Adult birds are white with black lines on the kneck, back and breast. They also have black tips on the tail and wing-tips that gradually turn from black to white as they grow older. Younger birds have darker plumage making their identification difficult.

 
Related Entries for Grey-Headed Albatross
Natural Phenomena: Southern Royal Albatross, Diomedea epomophora | Wandering Albatross, Diomedea exulans
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Created: 23 March 2004

Published by South Seas, 1 February 2004
Comments, questions, corrections and additions: Paul.Turnbull@jcu.edu.au
Prepared by: Paul Turnbull
Updated: 28 June 2004
To cite this page use: http://nla.gov.au/nla.cs-ss-biogs-P000392

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