Back to Debs Park close
Audubon
Type in your search and hit enter
Type in your search and hit go

Guide to North American Birds

 Find a Bird

Photo: Tui De Roy/Minden Pictures

Short-tailed Albatross

Phoebastria albatrus

This massive seabird, nesting on islands in the western North Pacific, was once a common visitor in offshore waters of the western U.S. and Canada. Driven almost to extinction in the early years of the 20th century, it has made a very slow comeback. It is now being seen regularly in small numbers at sea off southern Alaska, mainly near the Aleutian Islands, with scattered sightings elsewhere offshore as far south as California. 
Family Albatrosses
This massive seabird, nesting on islands in the western North Pacific, was once a common visitor in offshore waters of the western U.S. and Canada. Driven almost to extinction in the early years of the 20th century, it has made a very slow comeback. It is now being seen regularly in small numbers at sea off southern Alaska, mainly near the Aleutian Islands, with scattered sightings elsewhere offshore as far south as California. 
Photo Gallery



Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
Learn more about these drawings.

Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds

Download Our Bird Guide App

Short-tailed Albatross In the News More News

Celebrating the First-ever World Albatross Day
Coasts

Celebrating the First-ever World Albatross Day

A chance to highlight these magnificent, globe-trotting birds and learn what we can do to protect them.

Read more

These Mighty Birds Connect People Across the Pacific Ocean Every Year
Migratory Bird Initiative

These Mighty Birds Connect People Across the Pacific Ocean Every Year

Some of the most impressive bird migrations shrink the distance across our largest ocean.

Read more

Explore Similar Birds

These birds need your help