Not all experts agree that this form should be recognized as a separate species from the shy albatross, Thalassarche cauta.

Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus.

[2] They also 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.

[12] It weighs 3.4 to 4.4 kg (7.5–9.7 lb)[13] It has a bold white cap that contrasts with a pale silver gray face and a darker brow.

They are endemic to the islands off the coast of New Zealand, with a population of 75,000 breeding pairs, estimated in 2007,[15][16] and 350,000 to 375,000 total birds.

They are a surface feeder, but may utilize shallow dives for their food which is fish, cephalopods, tunicates, and crustacea.

[17][20] Commercial exploitation of squid in Bass Strait may present a threat by reducing the food supply.

Also, pigs on Auckland Island reduced nesting from 1972–1982, and feral cats also take small number of chicks.