The Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomophora) is one of the largest albatross matching the Wandering Albatross, boasting a wingspan of up to 3.5 metres across. They feed at sea on fish and squid, and may spend months on the wing, returning to land in the breeding season. Both parents incubate a single egg and assist to feed and rear the chick.

The majority of the world's population of 8,600 pairs of Southern Royal Albatrosses nest on the rat free Sub-antarctic Campbell Island. There are smaller colonies amongst the Auckland Islands.

Campbell Island is a remote and uninhabited subantarctic island located 700 miles south of New Zealand in the Southern Ocean. It covers an area of 11,300ha and is the main island of the Campbell Island group, being surrounded by a number of rocks and islets. It is best known as the home of the albatross, with six species in residence.