Shy Albatross
Thalassarche cauta
Number Of Mature
Individuals (Regional)
Unknown
Regional
Population Trend
Decreasing
2025
Regional Category
Near Threatened
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CONTENTSOverview
Names
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IOC English Name: |
Shy Albatross |
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SA & IOC Scientific Name: |
Thalassarche cauta cauta Thalassarche cauta steadi |
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BirdLife International Taxonomy (scientific name): |
Thalassarche cauta |
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Order: |
PROCELLARIIFORMES |
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Family: |
Diomedeidae |
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Species name author: |
Gould 1841 |
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Afrikaans: |
Bloubekalbatros |
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Sesotho (South Africa): |
Masikaledikepe wa molomotalalehodimo |
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Sesotho (Lesotho): |
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Siswati: |
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Zulu: |
Unozulanyanomqhelomhlophe |
Current Assessment Status
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2025 Regional Category [Criteria] |
NT [Follows Global Status] |
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2024 Global Category [Criteria] |
NT [A3ce] (BirdLife International 2022) |
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Population size (Regional) |
Unknown |
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Population size (Global) |
31 600 (29 800 – 33 400) mature T. c. cauta individuals (BirdLife International 2022) 203 600 mature T. c. steadi individuals (BirdLife International 2018) |
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Distribution size (EOO) (Regional) km2 |
Unknown |
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Distribution size (EOO) (Global) km2 |
Unknown due to taxonomic issues |
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Distribution size (AOO) (Regional) km2 |
Unknown |
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Generation time |
20.1 years (BirdLife International 2022) |
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Status change reason |
Not Applicable |
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Migrant (in the region) |
Non-breeding visitor |
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Regional endemic |
No |
Historic Listing Information
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2000 Regional Status |
VU [A2d] |
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2015 Regional Status |
NT [A2de+3de+4de] |
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Status change reason (if applicable) |
Application of criteria |
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2015 Population size (Regional) |
92 015 |
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2015 Global Status |
NT [A2de+3de+4de] |
Reason for Inclusion
Reason for Inclusion in the Assessment
The species was assessed previously (Taylor 2015) and is a non-breeding visitor that occurs in South African waters in unknown but significant numbers. Note in this assessment that BirdLife International treats this as a separate species from White-capped Albatross T. steadi. Both White-capped and Shy are listed globally as of 2025 as Near Threatened (NT), allowing us to list Shy Albatross by IOC taxonomic definitions in the interim as NT. However, this situation will be confounded by any deviation of BirdLife International’s assessments of these species.
Category Justification
Category Justification
The Shy Albatross T. c. cauta was classified as globally NT in 2022 due to a suspected population decline approaching but not exceeding 30% within the next three generations – after which the population would be considered Vulnerable (BirdLife International 2022). Under Criteria A3ce, the population reduction is attributed to climate-mediated effects on breeding success, and the effects of pathogens, competitors, and parasites. A portion of the global population visits South African waters – mainly juveniles and immatures. Accordingly, the global status is adopted, and the Shy Albatross is classified as regionally NT.
The White-capped Albatross T. c. steadi was listed as globally NT in 2018 under Criteria A4de (BirdLife International 2018). The population is thought to have declined by close to 30% over the last 3 generations due to actual or potential levels of fisheries-related mortality, as well as the effects of introduced taxa on one of its breeding islands. Besides one instance of incubation on Prince Edward Island in 2008 (P. Ryan pers comm), this species does not breed in South African waters. However, it is known to forage extensively in the region and is notably present within regional bycatch records. As such, the global status of NT is adopted.
Population Justification
T. c. cauta: The most recent global populate estimate is c. 29 800 – 33 400 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2022) based on estimates of 5150 ± 430 breeding pairs on Albatross Island in 2018-2019, 109 breeding pairs on Pedra Branca in 2018-2019, 9988 ± 200 breeding pairs on Mewstone in 2014-2015, and 4029 pre-fledging chicks on Mewstone in 2018-2019 (BirdLife International 2022). Confidence in this population and subsequent trend justification is low to medium. The inaccessibility of most breeding sites impacts the quality of data. The size of the population visiting South Africa is unknown, but they comprise 5% of the species killed on longlines. Ringed/colour-marked individuals are known to be from the Mewstone population (Brothers et al. 1997, Alderman et al. 2010).
T. c. steadi: The 2018 global assessment provided an estimate of c. 203 600 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2018) based on the 2014 count of 101 798 breeding pairs (Baker et al. 2015). The most recent population assessment reported a mean of 89 846 annual breeding pairs, with high inter-annual variability (range: 74 031 – 116 025) between 2006 and 2017 (Baker et al. 2023). The considerable variability between years is likely related to this species being a biennial breeder (ACAP 2011).
Trend Justification
T. c. cauta: The global population is thought to be stable. There is no evidence of an ongoing decline over the past three generations (Bird et al. 2020), although climate change is a suspected cause for a future decline of over 30% in three generations, in the Albatross Island subpopulation (Thomson et al. 2015). The Albatross Island population has an estimated 21-year trend of +0.74 ± 0.05% p.a. between 1998-2018 (DPIPWE 2019). The Pedra Branca population has an estimated 21-year trend of -5.9 ± 1.01% p.a. (DPIPWE 2019). The trend for the Mewstone population is uncertain but appears stable based on pre-fledging counts (DPIPWE 2019). The relative size of the Albatross Island and Pedra Branca populations render the overall trend stable.
T. c. steadi: Comparable population data which can be used to calculate trends are available from 2006. The most recent trend calculated over the 12-year period from 2006 to 2017 based on annual counts showed a non-statistically significant negative linear trend (Baker et al. 2023). The population was classified as ‘stable’ by analyses using TRIM. If fisheries-related mortality remains high, the negative trend is likely to be regarded as ongoing during the next global assessment because the IUCN implements a precautionary approach. Continued monitoring is needed to increase precision of population trend estimates.
Biology & Ecology
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of the Shy Albatross Thalassarche cauta is complex due to differing treatments by global authorities.
IOC: The International Ornithological Congress (IOC v14.2), which South Africa follows, recognizes Thalassarche cauta with two subspecies: T. c. cauta and T. c. steadi.
BirdLife International: BirdLife International lists Thalassarche steadi as the White-capped Albatross and Thalassarche cauta as the Shy Albatross, considering them separate species.
Clements (eBird): The Clements Checklist used by eBird lists Thalassarche cauta as the White-capped Albatross and does not refer to the Shy Albatross as a separate species (del Hoyo et al. 2020).
The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) recognizes both Thalassarche cauta and Thalassarche steadi as separate species based on differences in morphology, bill coloration, and genetic divergence. This regional assessment follows the IOC standard, listing Thalassarche cauta as the Shy Albatross.
Identification
The following information is adapted from del Hoyo (2020).
Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta cauta):
A large mollymawk (90–100 cm, wingspan 210–260 cm) with a stout, pale grey bill, pale yellow upper ridge, and a squarish black patch where the leading edge of the underwing meets the body. Adults have a white cap contrasting with a pale grey face and a dark ‘eyebrow,’ a narrow white crescent behind the eye, and a pale grey wash over the lower face and hindneck. The upperparts are dark grey, the rump and uppertail-coverts white, and the tail dark grey. The underwing is predominantly white with a narrow dark fringe along the leading and trailing edges and a small black patch at the wing base. Juveniles have a darker bill with a black tip and a more pronounced brownish tinge on the neck.
White-capped Albatross (Thalassarche cauta steadi)
Very similar in size (90–100 cm) and appearance to T. c. cauta. Tennyson (2020) show that T. c. steadi on the Auckland Islands show the full range of bill colour reported to be distinctive for Shy Albatross in Tasmania, and head colour is equally variable, so there are no diagnostic differences. del Hoyo 2020 suggests T. c. steadi has a bolder white cap contrasting with a paler silver-grey face and a darker brow, with a similar black thumbmark at the base of the underwing’s leading edge. The bill is pale grey to bluish with a yellow tip, and the underwing pattern closely resembles T. c. cauta. Juveniles have a grey bill with a dark tip and a darker head than adults, with grey extending to form a collar.
Distribution
The nominate subspecies T. c. cauta breeds at three islands off Tasmania: Albatross, Pedra Branca and Mewstone (Gales 1998). It has an unusually restricted foraging range with non-breeding and breeding adults remaining in close proximity to their breeding grounds, while immature and juvenile birds disperse westwards to South Africa (Marchant and Higgins 1990, Hedd 1999), New Zealand, and the South Atlantic Ocean (Tickell 2000). In South African waters, newly fledged juvenile birds arrive off Eastern Cape mid to late August and off Western Cape from late August to September. T. c. steadi breeds on Disappointment, Auckland and Adams islands in the Auckland Islands group, Bollon’s Island in the Antipodes Islands group and occasionally on the Forty-Fours in the Chatham Islands group (Robertson et al. 1997). A single bird was observed incubating among a colony of Grey-headed Albatrosses on Prince Edward Island in 2008. Juveniles and non-breeding adults are thought to range throughout the waters of southern Australia and South Africa (Thompson and Sagar 2007). Baker et al. (2007) reported that 95% of Shy-type albatrosses killed by longliners in South African waters are T. c. steadi.
Ecology
The following information is adapted from del Hoyo (2020).
Diet:
T. c. cauta primarily feeds on cephalopods (e.g., Nototodarus sloani and Sepioteuthis australis) and fish such as Sardinops neopilchardus, Engraulis australis, and Trachurus declivis. At Albatross Island (Tasmania), chick diets were dominated by fish (89% by weight), with cephalopods comprising most of the remainder. Foraging involves surface-seizing and shallow diving, typically within 3.5 m of the surface but occasionally reaching depths of 7.4 m. Feeding occurs both day and night, often in mixed flocks with other seabirds and cetaceans. Despite its name, it frequently attends fishing vessels and competes for discards (Petersen et al. 2008).
T. c. steadi has a less well-studied diet but consumes fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, and tunicates. It primarily feeds by surface-seizing but may engage in shallow diving. Regularly attends fishing vessels and fish-processing discharge, and has been observed foraging with other seabirds and Dusky Dolphins Lagenorhynchus obscurus.
Breeding:
T. c. cauta typically breeds annually, with egg-laying occurring mostly in September, hatching in December, and fledging by late April. Nests are large mounds of mud, guano, feathers, grass, and roots. A single white egg with reddish-brown speckles is laid, with an incubation period of 68–75 days. Chicks are brooded for 3–4 weeks before being fed progressively larger meals, with males receiving more food than females. Fledging occurs after approximately 127 days, and fledging success varies widely among years and colonies (22–100%). Chicks may suffer from tick infestations. Birds return to colonies at 2–3 years and first start breeding at 5–6 years.
T. c. steadi typically breeds biennially, with egg-laying occurring around mid-November and hatching in February. Chicks likely fledge between June and August; fresh-plumage juveniles appear off the Cape in August-September. Nesting is loosely colonial, with nests made of mud, guano, tussock grass, herbs, and feathers. Incubation and fledging periods are poorly documented, and juvenile survival rates remain unknown. Adult survival is estimated at 96% but survival is not reported for T. c. cauta.
Threats & Conservation
Threats
T. c. cauta: Fisheries-related mortality has been the main global and regional threat to this subspecies within the last three generations. However, regional bycatch estimates are relatively low – as this species accounts for 5% of the mortalities recorded for ‘shy-type’ albatrosses in South African waters (Baker et al. 2007). Applying that percentage to the most recent estimated annual bycatch rate of 57 ‘shy-type’ albatrosses in pelagic longline vessels operating in South African waters between 2010 and 2013, results in a recent bycatch rate of 3 birds per year for T. c. cauta (Rollinson et al. 2017). The South African demersal trawl fishery was previously considered a ‘very high impact’ fishery on this species (Baker et al. 2007), but the threat has since been mitigated through legislation enforcing the use of bird-scaring lines during trawling (Maree et al. 2014).
T. c. cauta: Bycatch mortality is the predominant regional and global threat to this subspecies. Baker et al. (2007) reported that 95% of ‘shy-type’ albatrosses killed by commercial longline fisheries in South African waters are T. c. steadi. Rollison et al. (2017) estimated an annual bycatch rate of 95 ‘shy-type’ albatrosses in pelagic longline fishing vessels operating in South African waters between 2006 and 2013. This bycatch rate is markedly lower than previously reported longline bycatch estimates of 7000 – 11 000 birds between 1998-2000 (Ryan et al. 2002) and c. 600 birds per year between 1998-2005 (Petersen et al. 2009).
The South African demersal trawl fishery once had the highest reported annual bycatch estimates (about 7000 birds; Watkins et al. 2008) of this species (Abbott et al. 2006), likely due to the high spatial co-occurrence (Petersen et al. 2008). The impact of this fishery has since declined after compulsory bycatch mitigation measures were implemented in 2006 (Maree et al. 2014).
Conservation Measures Underway
The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels – Annex 1 and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species – Appendix II provide international protection for the Shy Albatross. The Marine Living Resources Act (Act No. 18 of 1998), the Publication of Policy on the Management of Seals, Seabirds and Shorebirds: 2007 and the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for Reducing the Incidental Catch on Seabirds in Longline Fisheries (2008) protect it within the region. In addition, there are efforts by NGOs, such as BirdLife South Africa’s Task Force, working on bycatch mitigation with fishermen directly.
Conservation Measures Proposed
Even though it appears that the trawl fishery’s effects on T. cauta in South Africa have decreased (Maree et al. 2014), it is crucial to apply bycatch prevention techniques in all longline and trawl fisheries, including those beyond the exclusive economic zone.
The compulsory adoption of hookpods as a mitigation tool to prevent seabird bycatch in longline fisheries is proposed. More information about hookpods is available at https://www.birdlife.org.za/what-we-do/seabird-conservation/what-we-do/albatross-task-force/research-projects/#hookpoddevice. Although listed as a regional recommendation, global implementation of this device is the goal and would be beneficial to reducing bycatch of all seabird species.
Research Priorities and Questions
- T. c. cauta: To determine the size and distribution of the visiting population annually. Those data will contribute to estimating the trend of the Mewstone population. The data may also be beneficial to investigate the frequency distribution of inter-annual breeding periodicities for this colony.
- To quantify the proportion and distribution of birds foraging in South African and Namibian waters. Remote sensing and training fisheries observers to conduct counts are methods that can be implemented.
- To investigate the impact of mitigation measures on bycatch rates. This will require the recording of all mortality events.
Contributors & References
Assessor/s
Shamiso Banda, Alan Lee
Reviewer/s
Peter Ryan
References
Abbott CL, Double MC, Gales R, Baker B, Lashko A, Robertson JR, Ryan PG. 2006. Molecular provenance analysis for shy and white-capped albatrosses killed by fisheries interactions in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Conservation Genetics 7: 531–542.
Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. 2011. ACAP species assessment: White-capped Albatross Thalassarche steadi. Available: https://acap.aq/resources/acap-species/317-white-capped-albatross/file.
Alderman R, Gales R, Hobday AJ, Candy S. 2010. Post-fledging survival and dispersal of shy albatrosses from three breeding colonies in Tasmania. Marine Ecology Progress Series 405: 271–285.
Baker GB, Double MC, Gales R, Tuck GN, Abbott CL, Ryan PG, Petersen SL, Robertson CJR, Alderman R. 2007. A global assessment of the impact of fisheries-related mortality on shy and white-capped albatrosses: conservation implications. Biological Conservation 137: 319–333.
Baker GB, Jensz K, Cunningham R, Holdsworth M, Chilvers BL. 2015. White-capped albatross aerial survey 2015. Final report. Latitude 42 Environmental Consultants, Kettering, Australia.
Baker GB, Jensz K, Cunningham R, Robertson G, Sagar P, Thompson DR, Double MC. 2023. Population assessment of white-capped albatrosses Thalassarche steadi in New Zealand. Emu – Austral Ornithology 1: 60–70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2022.2161915.
Bird JP, Martin R, Akçakaya HR, Gilroy J, Burfield IJ, Garnett SG, Symes A, Taylor J, Şekercioğlu ÇH, Butchart SHM. 2020. Generation lengths of the world’s birds and their implications for extinction risk. Conservation Biology 34: 1252–1261.
BirdLife International. 2018. Thalassarche steadi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22729609A132661314. Available: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22729609A132661314.en. [Accessed on 29 June 2023].
BirdLife International. 2022. Thalassarche cauta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T22729604A213489185. Available: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T22729604A213489185.en. [Accessed 17 July 2023].
Brooke M. 2004. Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World (Bird Families of the World). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Brothers NP, Reid TA, Gales RP. 1997. At-sea distribution of shy albatrosses Diomedea cauta cauta derived from records of band recoveries and colour-marked birds. Emu 97: 231–239.
del Hoyo J, Carboneras C, Jutglar F, Collar N, Kirwan GM. 2020. White-capped Albatross (Thalassarche cauta), version 1.0. In: Billerman SM, Keeney BK, Rodewald PG, Schulenberg TS (eds), Birds of the World. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Available: https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.whcalb1.01.
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE). 2019. Shy albatross in Australia: Population and conservation assessment report for the 2018/19 season. Marine Conservation Program, Hobart.
Hedd A. 1999. Foraging ecology of Shy Albatrosses Thalassarche cauta breeding in Australia: implications for interactions with longline fisheries. PhD thesis. Hobart, Australia: University of Tasmania.
Maree BA, Wanless RM, Fairweather TP, Sullivan BJ, Yates O. 2014. Significant reductions in mortality of threatened seabirds in a South African trawl fishery. Animal Conservation 17: 520–529.
Onley D, Scofield P. 2007. Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World. London: Christopher Helm.
Petersen S, Phillips R, Ryan P, Underhill L. 2008. Albatross overlap with fisheries in the Benguela Upwelling System: implications for conservation and management. Endangered Species Research 5: 117–127.
Petersen SL, Honig MB, Ryan PG, Underhill LG. 2009. Seabird bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery off southern Africa. African Journal of Marine Science 31: 191–204.
Robertson CJR, Nunn GB. 1998. Towards a new taxonomy for albatrosses. In: Robertson CJR, Gales R (eds), Albatross Biology and Conservation. Chipping Norton: Surrey Beatty and Sons. pp 13–19.
Rollinson DP, Wanless RM, Ryan PG. 2017. Patterns and trends in seabird bycatch in the pelagic longline fishery off South Africa. African Journal of Marine Science 39: 9–25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232X.2017.1303396.
Ryan PG, Keith DG, Kroese M. 2002. Seabird bycatch by longline fisheries off southern Africa, 1998-2000. South African Journal of Marine Science 24: 103–110.
Tennyson AJD. 2020. Variation in the bill colour of the white-capped mollymawk (Thalassarche cauta steadi). Notornis 67(1): 333–340.
Thomson RB, Alderman RL, Tuck GN, Hobday AJ. 2015. Effects of climate change and fisheries bycatch on shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta) in southern Australia. PLoS ONE 10: e0127006.
Watkins BP, Petersen SL, Ryan PG. 2008. Interactions between seabirds and deep-water hake trawl gear: an assessment of impacts in South African waters. Animal Conservation 11: 247–254.
Citation
Banda S, Lee ATK 2025. Shy Albatross. In: Lee ATK, Rose S, Banda S, Bezeng SB, Maphalala MI, Maphisa DH, Smit-Robinson H (eds), The 2025 Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. Johannesburg, South Africa: BirdLife South Africa. Available at: https://www.birdlife.org.za/red-list/shy-albatross/
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