takes about 240 days for a baby to grow its wings fully and fly by itself.There is very low mortality rates of the laid eggs once the parents settle in. When feeding the young they will range south to the Campbell Plateau and north to the Chatham Rise. Conservation The IUCN classifies this bird as vulnerable, with an occurrence range of and a breeding range of , with a total estimated population of between 28,000 and 29,500 (1997). As a top-tier organism in its natural habitat, it has very few predators but major fishing industries are a huge problem for all albatross species among other seabirds. The population is recovering from its severe downward spiral in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the 1880s, this albatross was extirpated from Auckland Island and Enderby Island. Pigs and cats are still a problem, as they take chicks and eggs, on Auckland Island. Longline fishing is a major problem and a possible emerging threat is Dracophyllum, a shrub that is taking away from their nesting range. Gallery Footnotes References External links Species factsheet - BirdLife International Photos and fact file - ARKive southern royal albatross Birds of the Southern Ocean Birds of Patagonia Birds of New Zealand Otago Peninsula Endangered animals Endangered fauna of Oceania Endangered fauna of South America southern royal albatross Taxa named by René Lesson