Buller's Albatross

Buller’s toroa is a black-and-white endemic albatross with a slender black bill edged in golden yellow. Southern birds nest beneath dense woody vegetation on the Snares and Solander islands. Adults show a pale grey head, dark eye patch, black upperwings and a black bill with yellow plates along its top and bottom. Chatham Island albatross is larger and darker-headed with a heavier bright-yellow bill.

Northern birds breed in the Chatham Islands, while southern birds breed on the Snares and Solander islands. After breeding, many cross the Pacific to waters off Chile and Peru. They seize fish, squid, krill, salps and fishing offal at the surface and rarely plunge-dive. Pairs reuse a pedestal nest and share care of one egg and chick.

Buller’s albatross is At Risk — Naturally Uncommon (NZ Threat Classification). Demersal longlines and trawlers account for most recorded fishery deaths. It is a regular albatross from Cook Strait south, including pelagic trips off Kaikōura and Otago. Breeding islands are remote or tightly controlled.