Home › All birds › Shy albatross

The Shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta) is a bird found in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Open seas around Tasmania and the southern Indian Ocean. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and fish. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.

🏡 Where the Shy albatross lives

Open seas around Tasmania and the southern Indian Ocean.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐛 Insects & bugs60%
• 🐟 Fish40%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Shy albatross

Recorded by Barry Edmonston (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC796810. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Shy albatross

Where does the Shy albatross live?

The Shy albatross lives in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Open seas around Tasmania and the southern Indian Ocean.

What does the Shy albatross eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 60%), fish (about 40%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Shy albatross endangered?

Not in danger yet, but it could be soon. Its IUCN Red List category is Near Threatened.

More birds from Australia & Oceania

• South Island giant moa
• Stephens Island wren
• Great Knot
• New Zealand Plover
• Black-fronted Tern
• Orange-fronted parakeet

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.