Wandering Albatross
Diomedea exulans
- Length
- 107–135 cm
- Wingspan
- 250–350 cm
- Family
- Albatrosses (Diomedeidae)
- Order
- Procellariiformes
Overview
The snowy albatross (Diomedea exulans), also known as the wandering albatross, white-winged albatross, or goonie, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae; they have a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It is the largest species of albatross and was long considered to be the same species as the Tristan albatross and the Antipodean albatross. Together with the Amsterdam albatross, it forms the wandering albatross species complex, which some began referring to more recently as "snowy".
The snowy albatross is one of the two largest members of the genus Diomedea (the great albatrosses), being similar in size to the southern royal albatross. It has the greatest known wingspan of any living bird and is also one of the most far-ranging birds.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Diet: Squid and fish.
How to identify it
- The largest wingspan of any living bird
- Adults mostly white with black wingtips; young birds are brown
- Pink bill
Voice
Silent at sea.
Where to see it
- Prion Island, South Georgia
- Drake Passage and Kaikōura pelagics
Destination guides featuring this bird
- JJanuary: Best
- FFebruary: Best
- MMarch: Good
- AApril: Poor or no data
- MMay: Poor or no data
- JJune: Poor or no data
- JJuly: Poor or no data
- AAugust: Poor or no data
- SSeptember: Poor or no data
- OOctober: Good
- NNovember: Best
- DDecember: Best
- JJanuary: Best
- FFebruary: Best
- MMarch: Good
- AApril: Poor or no data
- MMay: Poor or no data
- JJune: Poor or no data
- JJuly: Poor or no data
- AAugust: Poor or no data
- SSeptember: Poor or no data
- OOctober: Poor or no data
- NNovember: Good
- DDecember: Best
- JJanuary: Best
- FFebruary: Best
- MMarch: Best
- AApril: Good
- MMay: Good
- JJune: Good
- JJuly: Good
- AAugust: Good
- SSeptember: Good
- OOctober: Good
- NNovember: Best
- DDecember: Best
Similar species
- Royal albatrosses
- black cutting edge along the bill
Range and habitat
Breeds high-latitude islands of South Georgia, Prince Edward, Crozet, Heard, Kerguelen, and Macquarie islands; ranges all southern oceans.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Snowy 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.
