Black-footed Albatross Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBlack-footed Albatross
Adult
Large seabird with long, narrow wings. Mostly dark except for a white ring around its long, thick bill. The amount of white around the bill varies from a thin ring to a wide band around face.
© Jonathan Eckerson / Macaulay LibraryWashington, August 17, 2019Adult
Large seabird with a long, thick bill. Feeds on the surface of the water.
© Mason Maron / Macaulay LibraryWashington, August 08, 2020Adult
Large seabird with long, narrow wings. Flies low over the surface of the water with stiff wings.
© Caroline Lambert / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, August 31, 2013Adult
Large, dark seabird with a long, thick bill. Wanders widely across the northern Pacific for most of the year, and is regularly seen off the west coast of North America.
© Blake Matheson / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, August 27, 2017Adult
Large, bulky seabird with long, narrow wings. The amount of white around the bill and on the rump varies with age and feather wear.
© Jonathan Eckerson / Macaulay LibraryWashington, August 17, 2019Similar SpeciesLaysan Albatross
Adult/immature
Laysan Albatrosses have a white head and underparts, and variable white in the underside of the wing; Black-footed Albatrosses are mostly brown.
© Richard MacIntosh / Macaulay LibraryAlaska, June 07, 2017Similar SpeciesShort-tailed Albatross
Immature
Short-tailed Albatross has a very large, pink bill, whereas Black-footed Albatross has a smaller, dark bill and a pale patch on the face.
© Lev Frid / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, June 01, 2017Similar SpeciesSooty Shearwater
Adult/immature
Sooty Shearwaters are much smaller than Black-footed Albatross, with much quicker, shallower wingbeats and a smaller and more slender bill.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, July 31, 2016Similar SpeciesNorthern Fulmar
Dark morph
Northern Fulmars are much smaller than Black-footed Albatrosses, with a much shorter bill and a prominent "tubenose."
© Luke Seitz / Macaulay LibraryNew Brunswick, September 10, 2011Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
Albatrosses(Order: Procellariiformes, Family: Diomedeidae)
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.