A Buller’s Albatross reaches the South Atlantic off Argentina

Leandro Tamini and Leandro Chavez (Albatross Task Force Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina) write in the journal Polar Biology on a sighting of an ACAP-listed Buller’s Albatross Thalassarche bulleri in the south-west Atlantic.

The short note’s abstract follows:

“Buller’s Albatross,Thalassarche bulleri, is a New Zealand breeding endemic that is frequently observed in the subtropical and sub-Antarctic South Pacific Ocean between Australia and Peru.  However, in the South Atlantic Ocean, it is a vagrant, as information on its presence in this region is limited to only a few sightings.  Here, we report a new record of T. bulleri in the south-western Atlantic Ocean off Argentina (55°06′13″S, 66°06′44″W) while investigating interactions between commercial fisheries and seabirds.  This record provides new information about the distribution of this albatross species and its relation with fisheries outside of its regular range.”

Buller's Albatross, photograph by Chris Golding

Reference:

Tamini, L.L & Chavez, L.N. 2014.  First record of Buller’s Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri) from a fishing vessel in the south-western Atlantic Ocean off Southern Patagonia (Argentina).  Polar Biology DOI 10.1007/s00300-014-1506-x.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 04 May 2014