Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:13:p42
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 13 (pt 42/98)
Character Range: 337280–341077

breeding sites in Australia (Heard Island, McDonald Islands, Macquarie Island), France (Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Islands), New Zealand (Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbell Islands), South Africa (Marion Island, Prince Edward Island), and other (South Georgia/Islas Georgias del Sur), with the largest population at South Georgia/Islas Georgias del Sur (ACAP 2012m).

Threats

The risk matrix for the Light-mantled Albatross is provided at Table 18, with the threats occurring in Australia's jurisdiction highlighted.

Table 18: Light-mantled Albatross (Phoebetria palbebrata) risk matrix.
Likelihood of occurrence  Consequence

Not significant           Minor        Moderate                                                                                                                                 Major                                     Catastrophic

Almost certain                         Marine pollution: heavy metal contamination                                                                                              Fisheries interactions: pelagic longline

                                       Marine pollution: marine plastics ingestion

Likely

Possible                               Human disturbance: habitat loss or degradation at breeding sites due to fire

                                       Introduced pest species: predation by cats, brown rats, ship rats, house mice, pigs

Unlikely                               Geological processes: volcanic activity leading to nest abandonment

Rare or Unknown                        Climate variability and change: sea temperature rise, habitat damage from severe storms, heat stress and degradation of nesting habitat

                                       Human disturbance: at breeding sites leading to nest abandonment

Note: Threats occurring in Australia's jurisdiction are highlighted in bold.

Thalassarche cauta Shy Albatross (Gould 1841)
Family: Diomedeidae

Taxonomy

Thalassarche cauta (Gould 1841) is accepted nomenclature for the Shy Albatross (ACAP 2012q). There has been significant taxonomic debate about the classification of Diomedeidae including, but not limited to, the introduction of the genus Thalassarche by Reichenbach (1852). Originally Diomedea cauta Gould 1841. The Shy Albatross was considered polytypic until it was included in the resurrected genus Thalassarche (Reichenbach 1852) and elevated to the specific level as Thalassarche cauta based on morphological and demographic differences, and genetic analyses (Nunn et al. 1996, Robertson & Nunn 1998). ACAP has concluded on advice from its Taxonomy Working Group that available data warrant recognition of Shy Albatross at the specific level with the nomenclature generally accepted (Double 2006, ACAP 2012q, TSSC 2020).

Current status of taxon

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth): Endangered
Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (Western Australia): Vulnerable
National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (South Australia): Vulnerable
Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (Victoria): Endangered
Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (Tasmania): Vulnerable
Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (New South Wales): Vulnerable
Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Queensland): Vulnerable
IUCN Red list of Threatened Species: Near Threatened
Action Plan for Australian Birds 2020: Near Threatened

Species description

A medium albatross, the Shy Albatross is approximately 90-110 cm in length, 3.2-5.1 kg in weight, with a wing length of 53-59 cm, and bill length of 122-138 mm (ACAP 2015, Menkhorst et al. 2017). Tubenosed; separate nostrils on a large, pale grey-yellow plated bill with yellowish upper ridge, with yellow tip and yellow at base of bill. Combination of black, grey and white plumage,