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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Diomedeidae
  4. ›
  5. Diomedea
  6. ›
  7. Southern Royal Albatross
Southern Royal Albatross
Photo · Albatross2147 at English Wikipedia

BirdUp · Species

Southern Royal Albatross

Diomedea epomophoraLesson, RP, 1825

Updated 21 March 2026

Also known asToroa

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

At a glance

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

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

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Southern Royal Albatross look like?

The Southern Royal Albatross is a very large bird, about 107–122 cm long and weighing 7700–10300 g.

The southern royal albatross or toroa is a large seabird from the albatross family. With an average wingspan of above 3 m (9.8 ft), it is one of the two largest species of albatross, together with the wandering albatross. Recent studies indicate that the southern royal albatross may, on average, be somewhat larger than the wandering albatross in mass and have a similar wingspan, although other sources indicate roughly similar size for the two species and the wandering species may have a larger average wingspan in some colonies.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
107–122 cm
Weight
7700–10300 g
Wingspan
290 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Southern Royal Albatross?

The Southern 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 Southern Royal Albatross eat?

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

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

2 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Southern Royal Albatross live in Australia?

The Southern Royal Albatross is native to Australia, recorded across 15 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingEnderby (Auckland) and Campbell is. (south of South I.; New Zealand)

Non-breedingWidespread all south temperate and subantarctic oceans

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Non-breeding
  • Vagrant
  • Passage

6 regions recorded