• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic source(s)
Brooke, M. de L. 2004. Albatrosses and Petrels Across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
Robertson, C. J. R.; Nunn, G. B. 1998. Towards a new taxonomy for albatrosses. In: Robertson, G.; Gales, R. (ed.), Albatross biology and conservation, pp. 13-19. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, Australia.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	D	D1+2

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2018	Endangered	D
2016	Critically Endangered	B2ab(v); C2a(ii)
2015	Critically Endangered	B2ab(v); C2a(ii)
2013	Critically Endangered	B2ab(v); C2a(ii)
2012	Critically Endangered	B2ab(v);C2a(ii)
2010	Critically Endangered	B2a+b(v); C2a(ii)
2009	Critically Endangered	B2a+b(v); C2a(ii)
2008	Critically Endangered
2007	Critically Endangered
2006	Critically Endangered
2005	Critically Endangered
2004	Critically Endangered
2003	Critically Endangered
2000	Critically Endangered
1996	Critically Endangered
1994	Critically Endangered
1988	Threatened

Migratory status	full migrant	Forest dependency	does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type		Average mass	6,270 g

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	11,900,000 km2	medium
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding)	4,400,000 km2	medium
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident)	7 km2	medium
Number of locations	1	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	92 mature individuals	good	observed	2014
Population trend	increasing	medium	suspected	1928-2010
Generation length	27.2 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	1	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	100%	-	-	-

Population justification: The number of mature individuals was estimated to be fewer than 50 until 1998 (C. Barbraud in litt. 2013), but Rains et al. (2011) estimated the population at c. 170 birds in total, including 80 mature individuals, with c. 26 pairs breeding annually. Between 2001 and 2007 there were c. 24-31 pairs breeding annually (Rivalan et al. 2010), and in 2014 the breeding population has reached 46 pairs (unpublished CNRS Chizé data from 2014 submitted to ACAP).

Trend justification: It is believed to have suffered severe declines in the 1970s, and so, over the past three generations (c.82 years), it has probably declined overall. However, the population increased between 1983-2009 (ACAP unpubl. data, Inchausti and Weimerskirch 2001, Rivalan et al. 2010). On average, adult survival is just over 97%, the highest ever found for an albatross (Cuthbert et al. 2004, Rivalan et al. 2010), and juvenile survival has also been reported to be very high (up to 70%), and this in part may explain the recent gradual growth of this population (Weimerskirch et al. 1997). However, there has been a recent decline in breeding success in this species, in parallel with a continuous decrease of the Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross population (Thalassarche carteri) on Amsterdam Island (Weimerskirch 2004), and D. amsterdamensis may now be stabilising (H. Weimerskirch in litt. 2016).

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
French Southern Territories	extant	native		yes
High Seas	extant	native			yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name
French Southern Territories	Plateau des Tourbières
High Seas	Indian Ocean, Western 1 - Marine
High Seas	Indian Ocean, Western 2 - Marine
High Seas	Indian Ocean, Western 3 - Marine

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Grassland	Subantarctic	major	breeding
Marine Neritic	Macroalgal/Kelp	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Macroalgal/Kelp	suitable	breeding
Marine Neritic	Pelagic	major	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Pelagic	major	breeding
Marine Neritic	Seagrass (Submerged)	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Seagrass (Submerged)	suitable	breeding
Marine Neritic	Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel	suitable	breeding
Marine Neritic	Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs	suitable	breeding
Marine Neritic	Subtidal Sandy	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Subtidal Sandy	suitable	breeding
Marine Neritic	Subtidal Sandy-Mud	suitable	non-breeding
Marine Neritic	Subtidal Sandy-Mud	suitable	breeding
Marine Oceanic	Epipelagic (0-200m)	major	non-breeding
Marine Oceanic	Epipelagic (0-200m)	major	breeding
Marine Oceanic	Mesopelagic (200-1000m)	major	non-breeding
Marine Oceanic	Mesopelagic (200-1000m)	major	breeding
Altitude	500 - 600 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use	Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (large scale) [harvest]	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Past, Likely to Return		Majority (50-90%)		Very Rapid Declines		Past Impact
		Stresses Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Bos taurus	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Past, Unlikely to Return		Whole (>90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Past Impact
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Whole (>90%)		Causing/Could cause fluctuations		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Pasteurella multocida	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Whole (>90%)		Causing/Could cause fluctuations		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Amsterdam Albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/amsterdam-albatross-diomedea-amsterdamensis on 26/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 26/12/2024.