This is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights.

[3] Finally, they have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe.

[9][10][11] Some, however, like James Clements (at the time of his death) didn't agree, nor has Cornell University since (which is responsible for his book).

The species was named by Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild for the distinguished ornithologist Osbert Salvin.

[14] It breeds mainly on small rocky islands with little vegetation,[15] and the nest is a pedestal made of mud, feathers, and bird bones.

[15][18][19] In June 19, 2024, an article recounting field studies of wild albatrosses in the Diego Ramírez Islands of Chile revealed the existence of a small breeding population of Salvin's Albatross, meaning their reproductive range has expanded to said archipelago.

In the early 2000s, an adult Salvin's albatross was seen by a fisheries observer 700–800mi north of the Hawaiian islands.

The world population is currently estimated to be around 61,500 birds in 1998,[21][22] which suggests a decline in the species since earlier studies (although differences in methods make direct comparisons difficult).