Waved Albatross

How to find it

Look for it on offshore Pacific boat trips. Costa Rican sightings came mostly from fishermen and tour boat operators, so the crews who work these waters are your best allies. Scan flocks of other tubenose seabirds and watch behind fishing boats, where the albatross was usually found. It is so large that a lone bird stands out at a distance among other seabirds. Have your camera ready early, because a visit may be short.

How to recognise it

Look for a large albatross with a long yellow bill, a brown body, and a white head and neck. The neck often has a pale yellowish wash, and Costa Rican photos show these same marks.

Up close, the lower neck and breast show a fine dark and white barred pattern. The rump is barred too, and from a distance it can look like a whitish horseshoe in flight. The legs are pale gray.

Across the species, adults stand about 80 to 90 cm tall, with a wingspan of roughly 220 to 250 cm, and males are larger than females. A fishing captain off Herradura identified one from its size, white head, dark brown body and pale yellow bill, a useful short list to note if one appears.

Behaviour and diet

The Waved Albatross eats fish, sharks, rays, crustaceans and squid, and it often follows fishing boats and scavenges. In Costa Rican waters it was usually with other tubenose seabirds or trailing fishing boats. Each record here has been of a single bird.

It is drawn to boats. Off California, one stayed with a tour boat for about 45 minutes, but the Herradura bird came close to the boat only briefly before flying off.

Where it lives

It is an open ocean bird. Normally it ranges south from the Galápagos to the waters off Ecuador and Peru, so Costa Rica is far north of its usual range. It breeds mainly on Isla Española in the Galápagos.

In Costa Rica it has been recorded only over Pacific water: off the Nicoya Peninsula, the central Pacific and the Osa Peninsula, and as far out as Isla del Coco, which lies about 550 km offshore.

When to see it

Most of the newer Costa Rican records fall in August and March, which suggests the bird is in our waters more often than once thought. Dated records off Marino Ballena and Cabo Blanco point to August in particular, and there is also a May record off Herradura.

Similar birds

Around the Galápagos it is the only albatross you are likely to see. In Costa Rica the only other albatross on the AOCR list is the Atlantic-side Yellow-nosed Albatross, a different bird. Seabird tours here also see Black-footed and Laysan albatrosses, which have dark or white bodies and dark bills. The Waved has a white head, brown body and bright yellow bill.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The Spanish name on the Costa Rican list is Albatros de Galápagos. Another Spanish name in use is Albatros Ondulado, which matches the English 'Waved'.

Status and conservation

It is category A on the AOCR list, with few Costa Rican records, and it is Critically Endangered worldwide.

Photography tips

Fishing or tour boats give the best chance for close photos, since this albatross is drawn to boats. Be ready early, because a visit may be short. Keep in mind the white head, brown body and bright yellow bill when sorting it from other large albatrosses.