Slender-billed Prion
NameSlender-billed Prion
Common NameSlender-billed Prion
Scientific NamePachyptila belcheri
FamilyProcellariidae
Wingspan (cm)59
Length (cm)26
Weight (g)140
Plumage DetailsUpperparts are pale blue-grey, contrasting with white underparts. It has a distinctive dark 'M' pattern across the wings (though often faint). The face features a white supercilium above a dark eye-stripe, and a dark cap. The bill is slender and blue-grey with a dark tip.
Vocalization / CallGenerally silent at sea, but at breeding colonies, they produce soft cooing, purring, and chattering calls.
Primary Dietcarnivore
Primary Habitatscoastal
Conservation Statusleast-concern
Geographic RangeBreeds on subantarctic islands in the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans, including the Falkland Islands, Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Islands, Heard Island, and Macquarie Island. Disperses widely across the southern oceans during the non-breeding season, reaching as far north as South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
Identifying FeaturesSlender, blue-grey bill, Pale blue-grey upperparts with faint 'M' wing pattern, White underparts, White supercilium and dark eye-stripe, Pelagic behavior
Description
The Slender-billed Prion is a small, pale blue-grey and white seabird known for its distinctive slender, blue-grey bill. It spends most of its life far out at sea, feeding on zooplankton by surface-seizing or shallow diving.
