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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Diomedeidae
  4. ›
  5. Diomedea
  6. ›
  7. Wandering Albatross
Wandering Albatross
Photo · Mark Jobling

BirdUp · Species

Wandering Albatross

Diomedea exulansLinnaeus, 1758

Updated 22 March 2026

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

At a glance

The Wandering Albatross is a very large bird, about 110–135 cm long, listed as Endangered and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
110–135 cm
Conservation status
Endangered
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Rare
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Wandering Albatross look like?

The Wandering Albatross is a very large bird, about 110–135 cm long.

The snowy albatross, 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".

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
110–135 cm
Wingspan
251 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Wandering Albatross?

The Wandering 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 Wandering Albatross live in Australia?

The Wandering Albatross is native to Australia, recorded across 30 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingHigh-latitude islands of South Georgia, Prince Edward (south of South Africa, south-west South Atlantic Ocean), Crozet (south of Madagascar), Heard, Kerguelen, and Macquarie Island (south of Australia)

Non-breedingWidespread all southern oceans

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Breeding

7 regions recorded