Phoebetria palpebrata
Silhouette: Alexandre Vong · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The light-mantled albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata), also known as the grey-mantled albatross or the light-mantled sooty albatross, is a small albatross in the genus Phoebetria, which it shares with the sooty albatross. The light-mantled albatross was first described as Phoebetria palpebrata by Johann Reinhold Forster, in 1785, based on a specimen from south of the Cape of Good Hope.
Light-mantled albatrosses share some identifying features with other Procellariiformes. They have nasal tubes on the upper bill called naricorns, though with albatrosses these are on the sides of the upper mandible rather than the top. They also have a salt gland above the nasal passage which excretes a concentrated saline solution to maintain osmotic balance, due to the amount of seawater imbibed. The bills of the Procellariiformes are unique in that they are covered with from seven to nine horny plates. These birds produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This can be sprayed out of their mouths as a defence against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights.
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | 🇬🇸 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | |
| 2 | Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands | 🇦🇶 Antarctica |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Light-mantled Albatross sighting in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on a given day, based on 446 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 37 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, May and October–November
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Light-mantled Albatross in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on a given day, against about 30% in June and September, the lowest months. July and August have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Light-mantled 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.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Light-mantled Albatross sightings, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetland Islands (Antarctica, about 10%).
Same family: Diomedeidae
The closest relatives of the Light-mantled Albatross that you can see in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (family Diomedeidae, Albatrosses) are Black-browed Albatross (about 60%), Gray-headed Albatross (about 30%) and Wandering Albatross (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Light-mantled Albatross is recorded against all the birds logged in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (446 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.
