Light-mantled Albatross

Phoebetria palpebrata

Near ThreatenedRareInvertebratesMarinePlatform nestHuge · 3.1 kg

About the Light-mantled Albatross

The light-mantled albatross, also known as the grey-mantled albatross or the light-mantled sooty albatross, is a small albatross in the genus Phoebetria, which it shares with the sooty albatross. The light-mantled albatross was first described as Phoebetria palpebrata by Johann Reinhold Forster, in 1785, based on a specimen from south of the Cape of Good Hope.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

The light-mantled albatross is largely sooty-brown or blackish, darker on the head, with paler upperparts from the nape to the upper tail-coverts which are grey to light grey, the palest on the mantle and back. The plumage has been described as being similar in appearance to the colouring of a Siamese cat. The eyes are partly encircled with thin post-orbital crescents of very short grey feathers. The bill is black with a blue sulcus and a greyish-yellow line along the lower mandible, and is about 105 mm (4.1 in).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What the Light-mantled Albatross sounds like

Recording: Kevin Guille · CC0 · via xeno-canto

Where it lives

Regular rangeRare visitor

Recorded as a rare visitor in United States.

When to see it

Peak activity in January · a variable species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Learn the Light-mantled Albatross for real

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