As of June 2020[update], the species is listed as "Endangered" in Australia; there are thought to be 15,000 pairs of shy albatross left.

Some authorities call this species the white-capped albatross, but that name is more commonly applied to Thalassarche cauta steadi.

In 1998, Robertson and Nunn suggested a four-way split including the white-capped albatross, Thalassarche steadi.

[9] Finally, following Brooke, this species was shifted from Diomedea to Thalassarche, which was generally agreed upon by most experts.

[citation needed] Some authorities, notably the American Ornithological Society, call this species the white-capped albatross.

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

Adults have a white forehead and a crown, which is bordered on the bottom with a dark eyebrow and pale grey face.

[21] The shy albatross breeds on rocky islands and builds mounded nests of soil, grass, and roots.

[5] In June 2020, the Australian Government changed the status of the bird under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 from "Vulnerable" to "Endangered", with the bird facing the main threats from climate change and fisheries (as bycatch victims, either caught in trawling nets, or on hooks in the longline fishing industry), as well as disease and competition with other seabirds.