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Hi,
Thanks for everyone who made comment on the
albatross pictures I posted.
I have concluded that the bird is as likely as not,
to be nominate bulleri. What makes it interesting though is the fact it
has a very dark hood and is completely dark all the way to the bill. Having had
time to consult various literature now, I am of the opinion that it could be
platei but is most likely a very fresh juvenile bulleri. Close
inspection of the photos shows it has very clean feathers with some pale
fringing on the back, which would indicate a bird onlt recently fledged.
Immatures, which are mainly pictured in ID
resources (and most people will have seen previously) have very pale heads and
HANZAB attributes this mainly to wear. I think if this bird was platei
it would have less white on the forehead but the main difference is the
bill size. The Eden bird has a relatively narrow bill and platei would
be expected to have a much heavier bill, thicker particularly at the base. The
dark lores are between both species and within the margin of overlap, so it is
not a good feature.
A few have questioned whether it could be Salvin's.
Very certainly not. For one thing, the bill shape at the join with the head is
wrong. Also, bill shape and size generally rules out Salvin's. Suffice to say,
it may not look so obvious in the photos but from observations in the field this
bird was definitely a Buller's type.
Thanks to everyone who provided
feedback.
Simon.
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