Phoebastria immutabilis
Silhouette: Juan Carlos Jerí · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) is a large seabird that ranges across the North Pacific. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to 99.7% of the population. This small (for its family) gull-like albatross is the second-most common seabird in the Hawaiian Islands, with an estimated population of 1.18 million birds, and is currently expanding (or possibly re-expanding) its range to new islands. The Laysan albatross was first described as Diomedea immutabilis by Lionel Walter Rothschild, in 1893, on the basis of a specimen from Laysan Island.
It is named for Laysan, one of its breeding colonies in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the island where the type specimen was collected. The genus name, Phoebastria, comes from Greek phoibastria, meaning a prophetess. The species name, immutabilis, is Latin for "unchanging" and refers to the similarity of immature birds' plumage to that of adults.
The Laysan albatross averages 81 cm (32 in) in length and has a wingspan of 195 to 203 cm (77–80 in). Males, which weigh 2.4 to 4.1 kg (5.3–9.0 lb), are larger than females, which weigh 1.9 to 3.6 kg (4.2–7.9 lb). This albatross has blackish-gray...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tokyo | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterey Bay Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Laysan Albatross sighting in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 879 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 44 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December to April
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Laysan Albatross in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 10% in October, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Laysan Albatross sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, in our data
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Laysan Albatross sightings: about 70% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Laysan Albatross is recorded against all the birds logged in Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (879 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
