Short-tailed Albatross
Phoebastria albatrus
- Family
- Albatrosses (Diomedeidae)
- Order
- Procellariiformes
Overview
The short-tailed albatross or Steller's albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) is a large rare seabird from the North Pacific. Although related to the other North Pacific albatrosses, it also exhibits behavioural and morphological links to the albatrosses of the Southern Ocean. It was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas from skins collected by Georg Wilhelm Steller (after whom its other common name is derived). Once common, it was brought to the edge of extinction by the trade in feathers, but with protection efforts underway since the 1950s, the species is in the process of recovering with an increasing population trend.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds Torishima (Izu Islands) and Senkaku Islands; ranges through North Pacific.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Short-tailed albatross
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.

