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Biology

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Males arrive at the breeding site before females, with most pairs nesting in February and March (7) (8). A single egg is laid (7), as with all albatrosses, and both parents incubate the egg in stints that last a week (8). The chick hatches after 80 days, is brooded for a month and fledges after approximately 235 days (7) (8). The chick is fed initially every three days by its parents and, at the peak of weight gain, will weigh more than its parents (8). Individuals reach sexual maturity at around nine years, although they often return to the island a few years before then (7) (8). Average life expectancy is 30 to 40 years (6). Due to its rarity the exact diet of this albatross is unknown but is thought to probably consist of fish, squid and crustaceans (2) (6).
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Conservation

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The Amsterdam albatross is listed on Appendix I on the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), which strives towards protecting migratory animals, conserving or restoring their habitat and controlling factors that might endanger them (3). It is also on Annex 1 of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) (11). All Amsterdam albatrosses are banded and the population is monitored every year. In 1987 the number of cattle was reduced and a fence erected to partition off part of the island, and in 1992 a second fence was built to provide complete protection from cattle in the high plateau (4) (9). Access to the colony by humans is also now under strict control (2). Further proposals include the management of vegetation to increase suitable nesting ground, investigation into the impact of cats and means of removing these predators, raising awareness of bycatch problems amongst longline fishers and research into methods of preventing the spread of disease (4) (10). All these issues need to be urgently addressed if we are to ensure the future of this bird, which is one of the rarest and most endangered of all albatrosses and currently in grave danger of extinction.
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Description

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The Amsterdam albatross is an extremely large albatross that breeds only on Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean (4). When first described in the early 1980s it was believed by some to be a subspecies of the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) (5). This 'great albatross' (Diomedea) breeds in a brown plumage, rather than the more usual white (4). Adults have almost entirely chocolate-brown upper parts, a white face and throat, a broad brown breast-band, a white lower breast and belly, and brown undertail-coverts. The underwing is white, with a dark tip (6).
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Habitat

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This marine, highly pelagic albatross spends the majority of its life out at sea, coming to land only to breed (2). Nesting occurs on a highland plateau at 470 to 640 meters in an area of peat bog that has an ample covering of moss (2) (7).
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Range

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Breeding is restricted to the Plateau des Tourbieres on Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean (7). During the breeding season birds forage both around Amsterdam Island and up to 2,200 kilometres away in subtropical waters, but non-breeding dispersal is unknown (6).
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Status

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Classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1), and listed on Appendix I of CMS (3).
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Threats

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This rare albatross has been imperilled by a number of human and non-human related activities, and now clings to an extremely precarious existence of just 70 to 90 individuals and 10 to 20 annually breeding pairs (2) (7). A large herd of 1,200 feral cattle have destroyed the vegetation cover at lower altitudes on Amsterdam Island, reducing this species' available breeding ground. Introduced predators also pose a major threat, particularly feral cats, and Amsterdam Island has suffered from fires started by humans, which destroy vegetation and possibly birds (2) (9). The effects of longline fisheries around the island in the 1970s and early 1980s may also be to blame for the serious decline in numbers (4) (10). Although population numbers have recently been increasing, a continued decline is projected owing to the potential spread of certain diseases (Avian cholera and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathidae) that affect the Indian yellow-nosed albatross (Thalassarche carteri) population on the same island (1) (4). Indeed, increased chick mortality over recent years suggests that the Amsterdam albatross population has already been affected (4).
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Conservation Status

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In 2012, Diomedea exulans amsterdamensis was included among the world's 100 most threatened species in a report by the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the Zoological Society of London.

(Baillie & Butcher 2012; Harvey 2012)

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Amsterdam albatross

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The Amsterdam albatross or Amsterdam Island albatross,[2] (Diomedea amsterdamensis), is a large albatross which breeds only on Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean. It was only described in 1983, and was thought by some researchers to be a sub-species of the wandering albatross, D. exulans. BirdLife International and the IOC recognize it as a species, James Clements does not, and the SACC has a proposal on the table to split the species.[1][3][4] More recently, mitochondrial DNA comparisons between the Amsterdam albatross, the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans, the Antipodean albatross D. antipodensis and the Tristan albatross D. dabbenena, provide clear genetic evidence that the Amsterdam albatross is a separate species.[5]

Taxonomy

Albatrosses belong to the family Diomedeidae of the order Procellariiformes, along with shearwaters, fulmars, storm petrels, and diving petrels. They share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages attached to the upper bill called naricorns,[6] although the nostrils on the albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates. Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This is used against predators and serves as well as an energy-rich food source for chicks and for adults during their long flights.[7]

Etymology

The scientific name Diomedea amsterdamensis is composed of Diomedea, from the marooned Greek hero Diomedes, whose companions were turned to birds,[8] and amsterdamensis, a Latin form of the name of the island where they are found.

Range and habitat

The Amsterdam Albatross breeds only on Amsterdam Island, part of the French Southern Territories in the southern Indian Ocean, at an altitude of between 500–600 m (1,600–2,000 ft) above sea level on the Plateau des Tourbières. There is uncertainty regarding its whereabouts when it is not breeding, though there have been possible sightings in Australia and New Zealand.[9]

Description

The Amsterdam albatross is a great albatross that breeds in brown, rather than in the more usual white, plumage. This bird weighs 4.8 to 8 kg (11–18 lb) and is 107 to 122 cm (42–48 in) long with a wingspan of 280 to 340 cm (110–130 in).[10] [11] The adult bird has chocolate brown upper parts and is white on its face mask, throat, lower breast, and belly. It has a broad brown breast band along with brown undertail coverts. Its pink bill has a dark tip and dark cutting edges, and finally, its underwings are white except for the dark tip and the dark leading edge.[9]

Behaviour

Because of its rarity, the feeding ecology and at-sea distribution of the Amsterdam albatross is not well understood, although it is believed that the birds eat squid, crustaceans, and fish.[9] Off-duty birds during the incubation stage of the breeding cycle cover large areas of the Indian Ocean, traveling up to 2,400 km (1,500 mi).

Reproduction

Amsterdam albatrosses breed biennially in the open marshy ground. Both parents incubate the egg in alternate stints that last for about a week, with the chick hatching after 80 days. The chick is brooded for a month and overall takes 230 days to fledge. At first, it is fed by its parents every three days, with the feeding frequency reduced as it approaches fledging. At the peak of weight gain, the chick weighs more than its parents but then loses weight as the extra reserves are used to grow feathers. Having fledged, the young bird stays at sea for around five years before returning to the colony and begins breeding a few years later. The breeding "language" of the Amsterdam albatross is similar to that of the wandering albatross.

Adult in flight, showing dark plumage typical of the species.

Conservation

The Amsterdam albatross is listed as endangered, by the IUCN,[1] with an occurrence range of 4,400,000 km2 (1,700,000 sq mi) and a breeding range of only 7 km2 (2.7 sq mi).[9] They are also considered endangered by the Bonn Convention, an international convention to conserve migratory species.[12] The population upon discovery was just five breeding pairs; with conservation this has increased to eighteen to twenty-five breeding pairs. Monitored continuously since 1983,[13] the world population is estimated at 80 mature individuals and a total of some 130 birds.[9] The island on which the albatross breeds have undergone a significant decline in habitat condition due to the introduction of ship rats, feral cats and cattle,[13] while the birds are threatened at sea by the practice of longline fishing. The draining of a peat bog on the plateau has degraded the breeding environment,[13] and because there is only one breeding location, they are also especially vulnerable to diseases such as Pasteurella multocida (avian cholera)[13] and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae.

To help in conservation efforts banding of the birds and frequent censuses are undertaken. Feral cattle were eliminated from Amsterdam Island in 2010.

Albatrosses (family Diomedeidae) are highly sensitive to adverse population effects, since they are very long-lived seabirds, with low fecundity, and delayed sexual maturity. The worldwide decline of albatross populations coincided with the development of industrial long-line fisheries.[14] Studies indicate that industrial fishing operations conducted close to seabird breeding grounds are more likely to impact populations, compared to fisheries operating further out to sea.[12] Evidence suggests that the Amsterdam albatross population had been affected by long-line fisheries targeting southern bluefin tuna, between the mid 1960s and mid 1980's, while operations took place amidst the birds feeding grounds.[12][14] Based on bycatch rates from for other albatross species, long-line fisheries have the potential to remove about 2-16 individuals (i.e. 5%) per year from the total Amsterdam population. In 2007, researchers estimated the population had grown to 167 individuals, this increase in abundance coincided with global decreases in long-line fishing throughout the southern oceans.[14] The prevent fishing operations from impacting breeding populations it is recommended that fishing should be conducted outside of the foraging area for breeding birds.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c BirdLife International (2018). "Diomedea amsterdamensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22698310A132397831. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22698310A132397831.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c BirdLife International (2008b)
  3. ^ Clements, J. (2007)
  4. ^ Remsen Jr., J. V. (2009)
  5. ^ Rains, Derek (2011). "Piecing together the global population puzzle of wandering albatrosses: genetic analysis of the Amsterdam albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis". Journal of Avian Biology. 42 (1): 69–79. doi:10.1111/j.1600-048X.2010.05295.x.
  6. ^ Sibley D. A. (2001)
  7. ^ Double, M. C. (2003)
  8. ^ Gotch, A. F. (1995)
  9. ^ a b c d e BirdLife International (2008a)
  10. ^ "Amsterdam albatross - Diomedea amsterdamensis - ARKive". Archived from the original on 22 April 2006. Retrieved 5 April 2006.
  11. ^ "Albatros Amsterdam". dyomedea.com. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Inchausti, Pablo; Weimerskirch, Henri (1 August 2001). "Risks of decline and extinction of the endangered Amsterdam albatross and the projected impact of long-line fisheries". Biological Conservation. 100 (3): 377–386. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00044-1. ISSN 0006-3207.
  13. ^ a b c d Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), Species assessment: Amsterdam Albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis, 2010.
  14. ^ a b c Thiebot, Jean-Baptiste; Delord, Karine; Barbraud, Christophe; Marteau, Cédric; Weimerskirch, Henri (August 2016). "167 individuals versus millions of hooks: bycatch mitigation in longline fisheries underlies conservation of Amsterdam albatrosses: AMSTERDAM ALBATROSSES AND LONGLINE FISHERIES". Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 26 (4): 674–688. doi:10.1002/aqc.2578.
  15. ^ Weimerskirch, Henri; Brothers, Nigel; Jouventin, P. (February 1997). "Population dynamics of wandering albatross Diomedea exulans and Amsterdam albatross D. amsterdamensis in the Indian Ocean and their relationships with long-line fisheries: Conservation implications". Biological Conservation. 79 (2–3): 257–270. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(96)00084-5.
  • BirdLife International (2018). "Species Factsheet: Amsterdam Albatross (Diomedea amsterdamensis)". Data Zone. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  • BirdLife International (2008b). "The BirdLife checklist of the birds of the world, with conservation status and taxonomic sources". Archived from the original (xls) on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
  • Clements, James (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World (6th ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-4501-9.
  • Double, M. C. (2003). "Procellariiformes". In Hutchins, Michael; Jackson, Jerome A.; Bock, Walter J.; et al. (eds.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins. Joseph E. Trumpey, Chief Scientific Illustrator (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 107–110. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
  • Gotch, A. F. (1995) [1979]. "Albatrosses, Fulmars, Shearwaters, and Petrels". Latin Names Explained A Guide to the Scientific Classifications of Reptiles, Birds & Mammals. New York, NY: Facts on File. p. 190. ISBN 0-8160-3377-3.
  • Rains, D.; Weimerskirch, H.; Burg, T. M. (January 2011). "Piecing together the global population puzzle of wandering albatrosses: genetic analysis of the Amsterdam albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis". Journal of Avian Biology. 42 (1): 69–79. doi:10.1111/j.1600-048X.2010.05295.x.
  • Remsen Jr., J. V.; et al. (January 2009). "Proposal (388) to South American Classification Committee: Split Diomedea exulans into four species". South American Classification Committee. American Ornithologists' Union. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
  • Sibley, David Allen; Elphick, Chris; Dunning Jr., John B.; Armistead, George L.; Badyaev, Alex; Barker, F. Keith; Behrstock, Robert A.; Brinkley, Edward S.; Cech, Rick; Clark Jr., George A.; Collins, Charles T.; Davis Jr., William E.; Delehanty, David J.; Garrett, Kimball L.; Geupel, Geoffrey R.; Groschupf, Kathleen; Groth, Jeff; Grzybowski, Joseph A.; Hendricks, Paul; Humann, Alec; Jaramillo, Alvaro; Jones, Ian L.; Knight, Thomas; Kricher, John; Kruper, David J.; Laymon, Stephen A.; McGowan, Kevin J.; Nur, Nadav; Petersen, Wayne R.; Reed, J. Michael; Rising, James D.; Rosenberg, Gary H.; Rubega, Margaret; Sargent, Robert; Sargent, Martha; Seng, William J.; Sheldon, Frederick H.; Snyder, Helen; Thompson, Christopher W.; Trost, Charles H.; Warnock, Nils; Warnock, Sarah; Weller, Milton W.; Wells, Allison Childs; Wells, Jeffrey V.; Williamson, Sheri L.; Winkler, David W.; Witmer, Mark (2001). Elphick, Chris; Dunning Jr., John B.; Sibley, David Allen (eds.). The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Illustrated by David Allen Sibley (First ed.). New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-45123-4.

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Amsterdam albatross: Brief Summary

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The Amsterdam albatross or Amsterdam Island albatross, (Diomedea amsterdamensis), is a large albatross which breeds only on Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean. It was only described in 1983, and was thought by some researchers to be a sub-species of the wandering albatross, D. exulans. BirdLife International and the IOC recognize it as a species, James Clements does not, and the SACC has a proposal on the table to split the species. More recently, mitochondrial DNA comparisons between the Amsterdam albatross, the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans, the Antipodean albatross D. antipodensis and the Tristan albatross D. dabbenena, provide clear genetic evidence that the Amsterdam albatross is a separate species.

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