Factors influencing the habitat use of sympatric albatrosses from Macquarie Island, Australia

Research on sympatric albatrosses from Macquarie Island reveals that black-browed albatrosses are more vulnerable to climate-driven changes due to their shorter breeding cycle and morphological traits, which limit flight efficiency. The study tracked 47 albatrosses—black-browed (Thalassarche melanophris), grey-headed (T. chrysostoma), light-mantled (Phoebetria palpebrata), and wandering (Diomedea exulans)—over 1994–2009, finding that habitat overlap was greatest near the island during breeding but varied widely in nonbreeding periods. All species utilized productive frontal regions and mesoscale eddies, with optimal residence times linked to moderate wind speeds, enhancing aerodynamic performance. These findings highlight potential risks for black-browed albatrosses as climate shifts alter Southern Ocean wind patterns and Subantarctic Front dynamics.

Cleeland, J., Alderman, R., Bindoff, A., Lea, M., McMahon, C., Phillips, R., Raymond, B., Sumner, M., Terauds, A., Wotherspoon, S., & Hindell, M. (2019). Factors influencing the habitat use of sympatric albatrosses from Macquarie Island, Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 609, 221–237. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12811