Gibson's Albatross was formerly considered to be a member of the Wandering Albatross complex, but, with the splitting of Wandering Albatross and Antipodean Albatross, Gibson's Albatross is currently classified as a subspecies of Antipodean Albatross.
With a wingspan of close to 3.5m it is an awe-inspiring sight as it gracefully soars over the waves.
Albatrosses are supremely adapted to gliding flight and are extremely efficient fliers so long as there is enough of a wind to provide sufficient updraft to keep these heavy birds aloft.
Due to their huge size the Gibson's Albatrosses were the dominant birds at Kaikoura, chasing everything else away from the bait with ease...
...but violent squabbles between themselves were still quite frequent...
In the close-up shot below (taken with a macro lens at a distance of about 1m), the narrow, flattened nostril that is characteristic of Wandering Albatrosses is clearly visible. The Royal Albatrosses in comparison have wide, bulbous, upward-pointing nostrils.
Juveniles and females (below) have more brown markings than adult males (above).
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