Waved albatross

Phoebastria irrorata

The Waved albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) is a bird found in Ecuador and Peru. Open ocean off Ecuador and Peru. Nearly all nest on Española island in the Galápagos. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and fish. The IUCN Red List lists it as Critically Endangered.

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Scientific name	Phoebastria irrorata
Region	South America
Found in	Ecuador and Peru

🏡 Where the Waved albatross lives

Open ocean off Ecuador and Peru. Nearly all nest on Española island in the Galápagos.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs60%
🐟 Fish40%

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

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Critically EndangeredAlmost gone from the wild.

💡 Nearly all of them nest on one island. Pairs dance and clack their beaks together.

Hear the Waved albatross

Recorded by Barry Edmonston (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC816741. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Waved albatross

Where does the Waved albatross live?

The Waved albatross lives in Ecuador and Peru. Open ocean off Ecuador and Peru. Nearly all nest on Española island in the Galápagos.

What does the Waved 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 Waved albatross endangered?

Almost gone from the wild. Its IUCN Red List category is Critically Endangered.

More birds from South America

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