Dye-marking of New Zealand black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses from Campbell Island

The foraging zones used by two species of albatross, breeding at Campbell Island, were studied by dye-marking breeding birds in 2 years in combination with ship-board observations of bird distribution. New Zealand black-browed albatross, Diomedea melanophrys impavida, were found mainly over the shelf waters of the Campbell Plateau and the south-eastern South Island mainland, but were also found over oceanic waters to the south of the Campbell Plateau as far south as 65 degrees S. Possible inter-annual variability was noted, with birds found in the Chatham Rise area in one year but not another. Dyed grey-headed albatross, D. chrystostoma, were not seen by observers, although it is unclear whether this is because of differential behaviour between the species or differences in visibility between dyes.