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  1. Species
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  3. Diomedeidae
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  5. Thalassarche
  6. ›
  7. Black-browed Albatross
Black-browed Albatross
Photo · no rights reserved

BirdUp · Species

Black-browed Albatross

Thalassarche melanophris(Temminck, 1828)

Updated 21 March 2026

Conservation status: VulnerableOrigin: Native
Order
170
Family
Diomedeidae
Genus
Thalassarche

At a glance

The Black-browed Albatross is a very large bird, about 80–95 cm long, listed as Vulnerable and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
80–95 cm
Conservation status
Vulnerable
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Rare
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Black-browed Albatross look like?

The Black-browed Albatross is a very large bird, about 80–95 cm long.

The black-browed albatross, also known as the black-browed mollymawk, is a large seabird of the albatross family Diomedeidae; it is the most widespread and common member of its family.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
80–95 cm
Wingspan
200 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

Field tips

behaviour

  • Frequently spreads its tail feathers into a wide, prominent fan shape during social interactions or while resting on the ocean surface.

flight

  • In flight, the white underwing displays exceptionally broad and irregular black margins, while the upperwing shows a dark saddle contrasting against a pure white rump.

plumage

  • Adults feature a bright yellow-orange bill with a reddish tip and a diagnostic dark 'eyebrow' smudge extending through the eye.
  • Juveniles are distinguished by a dusky grey wash forming a head or neck collar and a dark, olive-grey bill with a blackish tip.

size_and_shape

  • This species has a particularly robust silhouette with a large head and a heavy bill that appears thick relative to its head size.

voice

  • While usually silent at sea, they produce loud, harsh donkey-like braying cackles and guttural croaks when congregating in groups.

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Black-browed Albatross?

The Black-browed Albatross is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Black-browed Albatross live in Australia?

The Black-browed Albatross is native to Australia, recorded across 38 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingIslands of south Chile, Falkland, South Georgia and South Sandwich (south-east of South Georgia), Crozet, Heard, Kerguelen (south-west to south-east Indian Ocean), Macquarie (far south-east of Australia), Antipodes, Snares and Campbell groups (south-east and south of South I.; New Zealand)

Non-breedingWidespread all southern oceans from north of Antarctic Convergence to Tropic of Capricorn

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Non-breeding
  • Vagrant

8 regions recorded