Black-browed Albatross - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

Mollymawks are albatrosses in the Diomedeidae family and Procellariiformes order, which also includes shearwaters, fulmars, storm petrels, and diving petrels. These birds share certain identifying features. They have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns, although the nostrils on the albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates. They produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This is used against predators as well as being an energy-rich food source for chicks and also for the adults during their long flights. The albatross also has a salt gland above the nasal passage which helps to remove salt from the ocean water that they imbibe. The gland excretes a high saline solution through the bird's nose.

In 1998, Robertson & Nunn published their view that the Campbell Albatross, Thalassarche melanophrys, should be split from this species. Over the course of the next few years, other agreed, including BirdLife International in 2000, and Brooke in 2004. James Clements has not adopted the split yet, neither has ACAP, and the SACC recognizes the need for a proposal.

The Black-browed Albatross was first described as Diomedea melanophris by Coenraad Jacob Temminck, in 1828, based on a specimen from Cape of Good Hope.