Short-tailed Albatross passes 11,000 after near-extinction
Once feared lost, the North Pacific seabird has continued its long recovery, with the latest Japanese count recording more than 11,000 birds in 2026.
A story reported by Ornithomedia highlights one of the most striking seabird recoveries of recent decades, with the global population of Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastria albatrus now estimated to have passed 11,000 individuals.
The latest count, carried out in Japan in early 2026, recorded 11,067 birds on Torishima, the remote volcanic island that remains the heart of the species’ recovery. The total is reported to be around 12 per cent higher than the previous year, continuing a recovery that once seemed highly unlikely.
The Short-tailed Albatross, also known as Steller’s Albatross, was formerly abundant across the North Pacific, but was driven to the edge of extinction by intensive hunting for the feather trade in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the late 1940s the species was widely feared to have disappeared altogether.
Its survival was confirmed in 1951, when a tiny remnant population was found on Torishima, in Japan’s Izu Islands. From that precarious starting point, long-term protection and active management have allowed numbers to rise steadily over the following decades.
Torishima now supports three breeding colonies, with the latest monitoring recording more than 2,100 nesting pairs and almost 1,600 chicks. These figures underline not only the increase in the total number of birds, but also the continuing ability of the population to produce young.
The recovery has required more than simple protection from hunting. Conservationists have also had to deal with the instability of Torishima itself, where erosion and landslides on volcanic slopes have threatened nests, eggs and chicks. Work to encourage birds to settle in safer areas has included the use of decoys and sound recordings, methods designed to attract young albatrosses to more secure breeding sites.
Efforts have also been made to reduce the species’ dependence on a single island. Between 2008 and 2012, chicks were moved to Mukojima in the Ogasawara Islands and hand-reared there until fledging. Some of those birds later returned to breed, helping to establish a small but important additional colony.
Despite the impressive recovery, the Short-tailed Albatross remains vulnerable. Most of the known population is still closely tied to a small number of breeding sites, and seabirds face continuing risks at sea, including accidental capture in fishing gear. The species’ slow breeding rate also means that recovery is measured across many years rather than seasons.
The 2026 total nevertheless marks a major conservation milestone. From a bird once believed to have vanished, the Short-tailed Albatross has become a rare example of a large seabird population rebuilt through decades of sustained protection, monitoring and practical intervention.
June 2026
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