Sooty Albatross
Phoebetria fusca
Sooty Albatross is known to be the deepest diving albatross diving from 5 – 12 metres into the water to feed on squid, fish and crustaceans.
Referred to as the Peeoo, they have a sooty-brown plumage, with a distinctive white semi-circle above its eye and a long tail. They have a yellow-coloured groove along their lower bill.
They breed on all the islands within the Tristan group and in the Indian Ocean. Little is known about them due to their remote nesting location on steep rugged cliff ledges where making an population estimate is very difficult.
Sooty albatross is Endangered due accidental capture from longline fisheries and being struck by trawl cables while out scourging for food.
IUCN/ Conservation Status — Endangered
Wingspan — 2 metres
Life span —
Reproduction — eggs laid is October and November, hatch in early to mid-December and chicks fledge in May.
Sightings around Tristan islands — breeds on all the islands within the Tristan group and in the Indian Ocean.
Marine life on Tristan
The waters surrounding the Tristan islands are home to a diverse range of fish and invertebrates, including the commercially valuable crayfish.