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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Diomedeidae
  4. ›
  5. Diomedea
  6. ›
  7. Northern Royal Albatross
Northern Royal Albatross
Photo · Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand

BirdUp · Species

Northern Royal Albatross

Diomedea sanfordiMurphy, 1917

Updated 22 March 2026

Also known asToroa

Conservation status: EndangeredOrigin: Native
Order
PROCELLARIIFORMES
Family
Diomedeidae
Genus
Diomedea

At a glance

The Northern Royal Albatross is a very large bird, about 107–122 cm long, listed as Endangered and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
107–122 cm
Conservation status
Endangered
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Rare
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Northern Royal Albatross look like?

The Northern Royal Albatross is a very large bird, about 107–122 cm long and weighing 6530–8800 g.

The northern royal albatross or toroa, is a large seabird in the albatross family. It was split from the closely related southern royal albatross as recently as 1998, though not all scientists support that conclusion and some consider both of them to be subspecies of the royal albatross.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
107–122 cm
Weight
6530–8800 g
Wingspan
270 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

Field tips

behaviour

  • In social groups, birds often engage in 'gamming' on the water, characterized by ritualized bill-clapping, neck-stretching, and spreading wings to full span.

flight

  • When flying overhead, look for a mostly white underwing with a distinct dark band trailing just behind the leading edge from the wrist to the wingtip.

plumage

  • Adults possess solid blackish-brown upperwings that contrast sharply with the pure white back, unlike other large albatrosses that show increasing white on the wing as they age.
  • Look for a distinctive thin black line along the cutting edge of the upper mandible, which stands out against the rest of the pale pink bill.
  • Juveniles can be identified by dark black-brown speckling across the crown and lower back, paired with a distinct dark tip on their white tail.

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Northern Royal Albatross?

The Northern Royal 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 Northern Royal Albatross eat?

The Northern Royal Albatross feeds on fish/invertebrates, usually foraging alone.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

3 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Northern Royal Albatross live in Australia?

The Northern Royal Albatross is native to Australia, recorded across 6 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingOtago Pen. (south-east South I.) and Sisters and Forty Fours (Chatham Is., east of South I.; New Zealand)

Non-breedingWidespread all south temperate and subantarctic oceans, mostly Pacific

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Vagrant
  • Non-breeding
  • Breeding

5 regions recorded