Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:13:p37
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 13 (pt 37/98)
Character Range: 322573–325489

hooks (Weimerskirch et al. 1986, Brothers 1991). Birds seize most prey by surface seizing, surface diving to about one metre and rare shallow plunging (Harper 1987, Prince et al. 1994a). Wandering Albatross diet is composed mainly of fish and cephalopod species, with small amounts of other prey (for example, crustaceans and jellyfish) and scavenged species (for example penguins) (Croxall et al. 1988, Cherel & Klages 1998, van den Hoff 2001, Xavier et al. 2003b).
Foraging areas of the Wandering Albatross may vary due to sexual and age-related segregation (BirdLife International 2004). For example, during the breeding season at Crozet Island females forage in subtropical waters to the north of the colony, while males prefer colder, higher latitude waters (Weimerskirch 1995). In non-breeding years, individuals also appear to have a preferred home range, 1500-8500 km from the island, with a similar sexual segregation, females in warmer water than males (Weimerskirch & Wilson 2000).
On dispersal from the colony, juvenile birds frequent subtropical waters of the Indian Ocean and Tasman Sea where wind velocity and productivity are both low; these regions are typically not used by adult birds (Weimerskirch et al. 2006). Breeding adults from Macquarie Island are known to forage in distant oceanic waters over 2000 km away from the island, while non-breeding birds are known to forage in waters north of the island, including New Zealand shelf waters (de la Mare & Kerry 1994, Terauds et al. 2006b). Foraging effort by Wandering Albatross appears to be related to energy acquisition per unit effort, so that food intake levels remain stable, with flight costs the lowest recorded for any seabird (Schaffer et al. 2001).

Species distribution in Australia

The Wandering Albatross nests on Macquarie Island (Figure 1). The species is highly dispersive in all the southern oceans from the edge of the pack ice (68°S), north to at least the Tropic of Capricorn and sometimes beyond. The species' range approaches 10°S along the western coasts of South America and Africa, and vagrants have been seen off California and in the northern Atlantic. In winter, birds are frequently found north of the Antarctic Convergence (Blakers et al. 1984, Nicholls et al. 1995, 1997, 2000). Comparisons of results of satellite tracking has revealed that distances and patterns of dispersal are variable between breeding stages and populations (BirdLife International 2004, ACAP 2012v). Recent research on the genetic diversity of Wandering Albatross on Macquarie Island has highlighted haplotypes that match Diomedea exulans from a range of breeding sites across their range (McInnes 2021, pers. comm., 15 December 2021). There were also haplotypes detected that closely match those from Diomedea antipodensis (Antipodean Albatross). Further research is needed to determine genetic provenance of these animals.
The Wandering