One of the ocean’s great wanderers — a sleek, silver-gray sailor of the Southern Hemisphere skies. Often called the gray-backed mollymawk, this elegant bird glides over the wild southern oceans with near-effortless grace, spending most of its life far from land. It is built for endurance and efficiency, perfectly adapted to the roaring winds that circle Antarctica. Its subtle beauty lies in its simplicity: a soft gray back and wings, a clean white head and underparts, and a pale yellow bill delicately outlined in darker tones. It’s like the minimalist designer of the albatross world — understated but stunning.

Salvin’s albatross breeds on a few remote and windswept islands, including the Bounty Islands, the Snares Islands, and the Crozet Islands, far south of New Zealand. These colonies perch on rocky ledges and grassy slopes, where the birds return each year to reunite with lifelong mates. Their nests are raised cones of mud, grass, and guano — practical and sturdy, built to withstand the fierce subantarctic winds. They lay just one egg per season, and both parents share the long months of incubation and chick-rearing. Once the chick fledges, it may not set foot on land again for years, drifting through the open ocean like a feathered mariner.

In flight, the Salvin’s albatross is mesmerizing. It uses a technique called dynamic soaring, which allows it to travel hundreds of kilometers without flapping its wings — simply by harnessing the shifting winds over the waves. This incredible skill lets it glide effortlessly across vast stretches of ocean while expending almost no energy. Their diet consists mainly of squid and fish, sometimes scavenged from the surface or snatched from the wake of fishing boats.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Australia

2018

Non-Breeding

Chile

2018

Non-Breeding

French Southern T.

2018

Heard & McDonald

2018

Non-Breeding

Namibia

2018

Non-Breeding

New Zealand

2018

Breeding

Peru

2018

Non-Breeding

South Africa

2018

Non-Breeding