Huge full bodied albatross with extremely long wings and short, gently wedge shaped tail. Bill, huge with bulbous tip.
Juveniles have mostly a dark plumage which gradually whitens over a long period.
Most Wandering Albatrosses breed in the South African sector. Eggs are laid between December and February, incubated for 11 weeks, chicks hatch in March-April and fledge 40 weeks later between November and February. Total number of birds is estimated at 55 000. In 1995, the Macquarie Island population of Wandering Albatrosses was listed as an endangered species under the Australian Endangered Species Protection Act 1992. Pelagic range in summer, mid-ocean in Indian, South Pacific and Atlantic oceans.