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Home/Species/ Black-footed Albatross

Phoebastria nigripes

(Audubon, 1839)

Black-footed Albatross

G3Vulnerable (G3G4) Found in 19 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Near threatenedIUCN
HighThreat Impact
Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes). © Jonathan Eckerson; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Jonathan Eckerson; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes). © Dorian Anderson; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Dorian Anderson; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes). © Sharif Uddin; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Sharif Uddin; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes). © Mason Maron; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Mason Maron; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes). © Aidan Brubaker; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Aidan Brubaker; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes). © Ryan Shean; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Ryan Shean; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Black-footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes). Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Public Domain (U.S. Government Work), via ECOS.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102415
Element CodeABNDA01030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNNear threatened
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderProcellariiformes
FamilyDiomedeidae
GenusPhoebastria
Synonyms
Diomedea nigripes
Other Common Names
Albatros à pieds noirs (FR) Albatros Pata Negra (ES)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly in genus Diomedea; transferred to Phoebastria by AOU (1997). Occasional hybrids between P. nigripes and P. immutabilis are reported from the Hawaiian Islands (Midway) (AOU 1983).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date2002-11-25
Edition Date2002-11-25
Edition AuthorsCannings, S.
Threat ImpactHigh
Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank Reasons
Limited number of breeding occurrences; apparent decline of almost 20 per cent 1995-2000; projected decline of greater than 20 per cent over next 3 generations (60 years).
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: northwestern Hawaiian Islands (Kure east to Kaula) and on Torishima in Seven Islands of Izu (AOU 1998). Began breeding on San Benedicto Island, off the Pacific coast of Mexico, in 2000 (1 pair); apparently also nesting on Guadalupe Island, Mexico (Pitman and Ballance 2002). Formerly on northern Bonin, Volcano, Marianas and Marshall islands and Marcus, Wake and Johnston islands. RANGES: North Pacific south to Baja California, to Aleutians, Bering Sea (AOU 1998).
Occurrences Comments
Breeds on several northwestern Hawaiian Islands, on Torishima in Seven Islands of Izu (AOU 1998), and on San Benedicto and Guadalupe Islands, Mexico (Pitman and Ballance 2002). More than half of the breeding population nests at two sites: Laysan Island and Midway Atoll.
Threat Impact Comments
Historically (until 1992) threatened by mortality from squid fishing and drift-nets. Currently, at least 3000 individuals estimated to die annually because of interactions with longline fisheries, perhaps many more (IUCN 2000). Other threats include pollution, introduced predators, oiling, ingestion of plastics, and the possibility of volcanic eruption on Torishima (IUCN 2000).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Pelagic. Frequently follows ships. Nests in sand on oceanic islands. Usually nests in same spot in successive years.

Reproduction

Single egg is laid mid-November to early December on Midway Island. Incubation, in long turns by both sexes, lasts 63-68 days. Young are tended by both sexes. Nestling stage lasts about 140 days. May not breed until 5+ years old. Life-long pair bond. Does not renest if egg is lost.
Terrestrial Habitats
Sand/dune
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN3N
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS3NYes
United StatesN4B
ProvinceRankNative
OregonSNAYes
HawaiiS3Yes
AlaskaS3NYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource usePervasive - largeSerious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5.1 - Hunting & collecting terrestrial animalsPervasive - largeSerious or 31-70% pop. declineInsignificant/negligible or past
5.4 - Fishing & harvesting aquatic resourcesPervasive - largeSerious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceLarge - smallSerious or 31-70% pop. declineInsignificant/negligible or past
6.2 - War, civil unrest & military exercisesLarge - smallSerious or 31-70% pop. declineInsignificant/negligible or past
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesLarge - smallModerate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesLarge - smallModerate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
9 - PollutionLarge - smallSlight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
9.2 - Industrial & military effluentsLarge - smallSlight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
10 - Geological eventsLarge - smallSlight or 1-10% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
10.1 - VolcanoesLarge - smallSlight or 1-10% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherLarge - smallSlight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11.4 - Storms & floodingLarge - smallSlight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (19)
Alaska (15)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
ChichagofTongass National Forest555,858
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
EudoraTongass National Forest195,022
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
North KruzofTongass National Forest33,146
Port AlexanderTongass National Forest120,681
Prince William Sound Is.Chugach National Forest118,698
Tenakee RidgeTongass National Forest20,527
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Yakutat ForelandsTongass National Forest323,648
Oregon (4)
AreaForestAcres
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
References (23)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Berger, A. J. 1981. Hawaiian Birdlife. Second Edition. University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii. xv + 260 pp.
  4. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  5. Carboneras, C. 1992a. Family Procellariidae (petrels and shearwaters). Pages 216-257 in J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal (Eds.) Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 1. Lynx Editions, Barcelona, Spain.
  6. Carboneras, C. 1992b. Family Diomedeidae (albatrosses). Pages 198-215 in J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal (Eds.) Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 1. Lynx Editions, Barcelona, Spain.
  7. Gaston, A. J., and J. M. Hipfner. 2000. Thick-billed Murre (<i>Uria lomvia</i>). No. 497 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors, The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 32pp.
  8. Gaston, A. J., et al. 1994. Population parameters of thick-billed murres at Coats Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. Condor 96:935-948.
  9. Harrison, C. S., M. B. Naughton, and S. I. Fefer. 1984. The status and conservation of seabirds in the Hawaiian Archipelago and Johnston Atoll. Pages 513-526 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Pub. No. 2.
  10. Hasegawa, H. 1984. Status and conservation of seabirds in Japan, with special attention to the short-tailed albatross. Pages 487-500 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Pub. No. 2.
  11. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). 2000. 2000 IUCN Red list of threatened species. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Species Survival Commission, Cambridge, U.K.
  12. Melville, D. S. 1984. Seabirds of China and the surrounding seas. Pages 501-511 in Croxall et al., eds. Status and conservation of the world's seabirds. ICBP Tech. Pub. No. 2.
  13. Mostello, C. S., N. A. Palaia, and R. B. Clapp. 2000. Gray-backed Tern (Sterna lunata). No. 525 in A. Poole and F. Gill (editors). The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 28 pp.
  14. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  15. Pitmann, R. L. and L. T. Ballance. 2002. The changing status of marine birds breeding at San Benedicto Island, Mexico. Wilson Bulletin 114:11-19.
  16. Pitman, R. L., and L. T. Ballance. 2002. The changing status of marine birds breeding at San Benedicto Island, Mexico. Wilson Bulletin 114:11-19.
  17. Pratt, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett. 1987. A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 409 pp. + 45 plates.
  18. Ridgely, R. S. 2002. Distribution maps of South American birds. Unpublished.
  19. Robbins, C. S., and B. A. Dowell. 2000. Population dynamics of Black-footed and Laysan Albatrossess. Project outline, US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland. Available at: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/research/sis2000/robbin04.htm. Accessed 25 November 2002.
  20. Schreiber, E. A., R. W. Schreiber, and G. A. Schenk. 1996. Red-footed Booby (<i>Sula sula</i>). No. 241 in A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The Amerian Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC. 24 pp.
  21. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  22. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  23. Warham, J. 1991 (also listed as 1990). The petrels: their ecology and breeding systems. Academic Press. viii + 440 pp.