FaunaHub
VUVulnerablePartial review

Wandering Albatross

Diomedea exulans

Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) gliding over the sea on huge wings.

Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans).

Image: JJ Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
VU · Vulnerable
Animal group
Birds
Population trend
Decreasing
Last verified

Conservation overview

The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird and roams vast distances over the Southern Ocean. It is assessed as Vulnerable.

It can glide for hours and travel thousands of kilometres on a single foraging trip.

Range & habitat

The Southern Ocean, breeding on remote sub-Antarctic islands.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • Drowning on longline fishing hooks
  • Plastic pollution
  • Invasive predators at colonies

Why it matters

A long-lived ocean wanderer, the wandering albatross is a powerful symbol of the threat that longline fishing poses to the world's seabirds.

Gallery

A wandering albatross at sea.

Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans).

Image: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Wandering Albatross

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is the wandering albatross's wingspan?
It has the largest wingspan of any living bird — commonly over three metres — letting it glide enormous distances across the Southern Ocean with little effort.
Why is the wandering albatross Vulnerable?
Published assessments cite drowning on longline fishing hooks above all, along with plastic pollution and invasive predators at breeding colonies. See the IUCN Red List.

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