Fairy Prion
Pachyptila turtur
The smallest of the six prion species, the fairy prion is often seen making shallow dives or seizing food from the surface in large flocks at sea. It is very similar to other prion species, with a dark “M'' stretching across the back from wingtip to wingtip and a black tip to the upper tail. Fairy prions can be carefully distinguished by their smaller size, poorly defined facial markings, and broad, dark tip to the upper tail. The Fulmar Prion, the most similar species, is separated by a shorter bill that is more massive, especially at the tip.
Identification
The fairy prion is around 25 cm (9.8 in) in length, with a wingspan of 56 cm (22 in). The plumage is blue-grey on its upperparts with a dark "M" extending to the wingtips. The tail is wedge-shaped with a dark tip. The underparts are mostly white. It has a pale blue bill with blue legs and feet. The sexes are alike. In appearance, it is very similar to the fulmar prion (Pachyptila crassirostris), and the two species cannot be distinguished at sea.
Taxonomy
The fairy prion was formally described in 1820 by the German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl under the binomial name Procellaria turtur. It is now placed with the other prions in the genus Pachyptila, introduced in 1811 by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek pakhus , meaning "dense" or "thick", with ptilon, meaning "feather" or "plumage". The specific epithet turtur is Latin for "turtle dove". The word prion comes from the Ancient Greek word priōn, meaning "a saw", which refers to the serrated edges of its bill.<p>The fairy prion is a member of the genus Pachyptila and of the subgenus Pseudoprion Coues, 1866. Along with the blue petrel, they make up the prions. They in turn are members of the family Procellariidae, and the order Procellariiformes. Prions are small and typically eat just zooplankton but, as members of the Procellariiformes, they share certain identifying features. They have nasal passages, called naricorns, that attach to the upper bill, as opposed to the nostrils on the albatross which are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates.<p>The birds produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus, and is used against predators, as well as providing an energy rich food source for chicks, and for the adults during their long flights. They also have a salt gland above the nasal passage which excretes a high saline solution from their nose, helping to desalinate their bodies, due to the large quantity of ocean water that they imbibe. It.
- Scientific name
- Pachyptila turtur
- Authority
- (Kuhl, 1820)
- Order
- Procellariiformes
- Family
- Procellariidae
- Genus
- Pachyptila
Range and habitat
The fairy prion is found throughout oceans and coastal areas in the Southern Hemisphere. Their colonies can be found in the Falklands Isles, the Bass Strait Islands of Australia, the Crozet Isles, as well as the Chatham Islands, the Antipodes Islands, and the Snares Islands of New Zealand amongst many other places.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rock Sandpiper
Calidris ptilocnemis
Plump, rock-loving shorebird with slightly droopy bill. Most often seen in nonbreeding plumage, which is fairly dark gray with heavily spotted underparts. Color of legs and base of bill varies from dull greenish to orangey. Breeding plumage shows reddish back and smudgy black belly. Juveniles show some rusty tones and have neat white fringes on wing feathers. Some variation across range; breeding population on Pribilof Islands in Alaska is larger and paler. Breeds on tundra; winters on rocky coastlines, sometimes feeding on mudflats. Typically in flocks in winter, often mixed with turnstones or Surfbird. Extremely similar to Purple Sandpiper but no range overlap.
MacGillivray's Prion
Pachyptila macgillivrayi
A pale powder-blue-and-white seabird with a faint grayish dark “M” across the upperwings. Note the dark blue “thumb mark” collar, the blue eye-stripe, the white eyebrow, the white throat, and the grayish cap. Restricted to two known breeding islands, Saint Paul in the South Indian Ocean, and Gough in the South Atlantic. Almost identical to Antarctic Prion, but bulkier and more heavy-chested, with a slightly wider bill. All but inseparable from Salvin’s Prion, with which it shares the breeding island of Gough, and with which it was once considered one species; MacGillivray’s is incrementally broader-billed, but birds seen at sea may not be identifiable.
Masked Duck
Nomonyx dominicus
Reclusive, rarely seen diving duck of tropical lowlands. Feeds mainly at night and spends much of the day sleeping quietly in marshy vegetation, often in small ponds and even in roadside ditches. Rarely seen in flight, but can spring into the air rather than run along the water. Male in breeding plumage has black face mask, bright blue bill, and dark rusty body. Female-plumaged birds are seen much more often: note buffy face with double dark face stripes.
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