Wandering albatross
Diomedea exulans Linnaeus, 1758
The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is a species in the family Diomedeidae, order Procellariiformes. Recorded adults weigh 7.27 kg to 9.11 kg. It has been recorded in 33 countries, most often in Australia, Antarctica and South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.
Quick facts about the wandering albatross
- Weight
- 7.27 kg – 9.11 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 3 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Egg incubation
- 78 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Recorded in
- 33 countriessrc for Recorded in
How big is the wandering albatross?
Photos of the wandering albatross
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the wandering albatross live?
Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF. This shows where the species has been recorded, including zoos and introduced populations. It is not a definitive range.
The wandering albatross has been recorded in 33 countries, from 76,107 records.
- None on record
- 1–9
- 10–99
- 100–999
- 1,000+
The same figures as a list, most records first
- Australia15,696
- Antarctica14,814
- South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands9,914
- South Africa8,929
- French Southern Territories7,884
- New Zealand7,723
- Falkland Islands3,031
- Chile2,727
- Argentina2,147
- Heard & McDonald Islands2,107
- Brazil449
- Uruguay384
- Madagascar86
- St. Helena81
- Norfolk Island30
- Mozambique27
- New Caledonia20
- French Polynesia11
- France10
- Bouvet Island7
- Réunion7
- Mauritius6
- United Kingdom5
- United States3
- Denmark1
- Fiji1
- Iceland1
- Japan1
- Morocco1
- Namibia1
- Pitcairn Islands1
- Russia1
- Singapore1
What is the wandering albatross?
The snowy albatross (Diomedea exulans), also known as the wandering albatross, white-winged albatross, or goonie, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae; they have a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It is the largest species of albatross and was long considered to be the same species as the Tristan albatross and the Antipodean albatross. Together with the Amsterdam albatross, it forms the wandering albatross species complex, which some began referring to more recently as "snowy".
The snowy albatross is one of the two largest members of the genus Diomedea (the great albatrosses), being similar in size to the southern royal albatross. It has the greatest known wingspan of any living bird and is also one of the most far-ranging birds. Some individual snowy albatrosses are known to circumnavigate the Southern Ocean three times in one year, covering more than 120,000 km (75,000 mi).
Wikipedia contributors, “Snowy albatross”, Wikipedia (revision 1379042248), retrieved 2026-11-11. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0; this block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the wandering albatross endangered?
The wandering albatross is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the wandering albatross classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderProcellariiformes
- familyDiomedeidae
- genusDiomedea
- SpeciesDiomedea exulans Linnaeus, 1758
Names in other languages (16)
- Albatros hurleurFrench
- WanderalbatrosGerman
- albatros viajeroSpanish
- Albatroz-errantePortuguese
- Grote albatrosDutch
- VandringsalbatrossSwedish
- ワタリアホウドリJapanese
- 漂泊信天翁Chinese
- قطرس جوالArabic
- Странствующий альбатросRussian
- Albatros urlatoreItalian
- Albatros erranteSpanish
- Man-of-war birdEnglish
- ToroaEnglish
- White-winged albatrossEnglish
- albatroz-gigantePortuguese
GBIFWikidataWikipediaNCBI TaxonomyITISEncyclopedia of LifeiNaturalistWoRMS
Relatives of the wandering albatross
Other species in the same class Aves.
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
European robin
Erithacus rubecula
Bald eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Peregrine falcon
Falco peregrinus
Common kingfisher
Alcedo atthis
Common ostrich
Struthio camelus
CompareWandering albatross vs MallardWandering albatross vs European robinWandering albatross vs Bald eagleWandering albatross vs Peregrine falcon
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the wandering albatross?
An adult wandering albatross weighs 7.27 kg – 9.11 kg and has a wingspan of 3 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Where does the wandering albatross live?
The wandering albatross has openly licensed sighting records from 33 countries on GBIF. The most records come from Australia, Antarctica, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, South Africa and French Southern Territories. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.
Is the wandering albatross endangered?
The wandering albatross is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the wandering albatross?
The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) belongs to the family Diomedeidae in the order Procellariiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0 · live API 2026-11-11
GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org. - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · live API 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base. - GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only) · CC BY 4.0 · live API 2026-11-11
GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records. - Wikimedia Commons · Per file · live API 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file. - English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · live API 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/wandering-albatross
“Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/wandering-albatross.
@misc{wandering_albatross_2026,
title = {Wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/wandering-albatross},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}