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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Diomedeidae
  4. ›
  5. Thalassarche
  6. ›
  7. Campbell Albatross
Campbell Albatross
Photo · Author: Mark Jobling

BirdUp · Species

Campbell Albatross

Thalassarche impavidaMathews, 1912

Updated 21 March 2026

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

At a glance

The Campbell 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 Campbell Albatross look like?

The Campbell Albatross is a very large bird, about 80–95 cm long and weighing 2200–3800 g.

The Campbell albatross or Campbell mollymawk, is a medium-sized mollymawk in the albatross family. It breeds only on Campbell Island and the associated islet of Jeanette Marie, in a small New Zealand island group in the South Pacific. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the black-browed albatross. It is a medium-sized black and white albatross with a pale yellow iris.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
80–95 cm
Weight
2200–3800 g
Wingspan
217 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Campbell Albatross?

The Campbell 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

What does a Campbell Albatross eat?

The Campbell Albatross feeds on fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks.

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Campbell Albatross live in Australia?

The Campbell Albatross is native to Australia, recorded across 14 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingCampbell and Jeanette Marie is. (Campbell Is., south of South I., New Zealand)

Non-breedingTo south Australia, Ross Sea (Antarctica) and central Pacific

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Non-breeding
  • Vagrant
  • Passage

7 regions recorded