Pachyptila turtur
The Fairy Prion (Pachyptila turtur) is a captivating small seabird, epitomizing the petrel family with its delicate flight and specialized feeding adaptations. Measuring 25-30 cm in length with a wingspan of 56-60 cm and weighing 130-230 grams, it presents a striking appearance with pale grey-blue upperparts, pristine white underparts, and a diagnostic dark 'M' pattern stretching across its wings. Distinctive field marks include a dark cap extending through the eye, a short, stout blue-grey b...
This pelagic species spends the majority of its life over the open ocean, only returning to offshore islands and coastal cliffs for breeding.
Their diet consists primarily of zooplankton, including copepods, krill, and amphipods, supplemented by small fish and squid, which they filter-feed or seize from the ocean surface.
Fairy Prions are primarily nocturnal on land during the breeding season, a strategy to evade aerial predators, but are diurnal while foraging at sea. Their foraging techniques are specialized, involving surface skimming and shallow plunges to capture zooplankton, utilizing their unique filter-fee...
The Fairy Prion has a widespread distribution across the Southern Ocean, with its primary breeding grounds concentrated on islands off south-eastern Australia and New Zealand. Key breeding sites include Tasmania's offshore islands, the Bass Strait islands, New Zealand's Poor Knights, Chatham, Ste...
Least Concern
- The Fairy Prion is the smallest of all prion species, earning its name from its delicate appearance. - Its bill is specially adapted for filter-feeding, equipped with fine lamellae that strain small crustaceans from the water. - These birds are strictly nocturnal on their breeding grounds, flyi...