Species
Current thinking divides the albatrosses into four genera. The number of species is a matter of some debate. The IUCN and BirdLife International among others recognise the interim taxonomy of 22 extant species, other authorities retain the more traditional 14 species, and one recent paper proposed a reduction to 13:
- Great albatrosses (Diomedea)
- Wandering Albatross D. exulans
- Antipodean Albatross D. (exulans) antipodensis
- Amsterdam Albatross D. (exulans) amsterdamensis
- Tristan Albatross D. (exulans) dabbenena
- Northern Royal Albatross D. (epomorpha) sanfordi
- Southern Royal Albatross D. epomophora
- North Pacific albatrosses (Phoebastria)
- Waved Albatross P. irrorata
- Short-tailed Albatross P. albatrus
- Black-footed Albatross P. nigripes
- Laysan Albatross P. immutabilis
- Mollymawks (Thalassarche)
- Black-browed Albatross T. melanophris
- Campbell Albatross T. (melanophris) impavida
- Shy Albatross T. cauta
- White-capped Albatross T. steadi
- Chatham Albatross T. (cauta) eremita
- Salvin's Albatross T. (cauta) salvini
- Grey-headed Albatross T. chrysostoma
- Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross T. chlororhynchos
- Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross T. (chlororhynchos) carteri
- Buller's Albatross T. bulleri
- Sooty albatrosses (Phoebetria)
- Sooty Albatross P. fusca
- Light-mantled Albatross P. palpebrata.
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