Fairy prion

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Fairy prion
Fairy Prion with egg.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Pachyptila
Species:
P. turtur
Binomial name
Pachyptila turtur
(Kuhl, 1820)
Pachyptila turtur map.svg

The fairy prion (Pachyptila turtur) is a small seabird with the standard prion plumage of blue-grey upperparts with a prominent dark "M" marking and white underneath. The sexes are alike. This is a small prion of the low subantarctic and subtropic seas.

Taxonomy[edit]

The fairy prion was formally described in 1820 by the German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl under the binomial name Procellaria turtur.[2] It is now placed with the other prions in the genus Pachyptila that was introduced in 1811 by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger.[3] 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".[4] The word prion comes from the Ancient Greek word priōn meaning "a saw", which is in reference to its serrated edges of its bill.[5]

The fairy prion is a member of the genus Pachyptila, and along with the blue petrel makes up the prions. They in turn are members of the family Procellariidae, and the order Procellariiformes. The prions are small and typically eat just zooplankton;[6] however as a member of the Procellariiformes, they share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. Although the nostrils on the albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between 7 and 9 horny plates. They produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights.[7] Finally, they also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nose.[8]

Description[edit]

Fairy prion flight.JPG

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); the two species cannot be distinguished at sea.[9]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

The fairy prion is found throughout oceans and coastal areas in the Southern Hemisphere.[10]

Behaviour[edit]

Food and feeding[edit]

The diet consists mainly of planktonic crustaceans and tiny fish, which they catch by either seizing prey while on the surface or by dipping their bill into the water while in flight.[9][11]

Breeding[edit]

They breed colonially and prefer small islands. The nest is situated in soil, hidden by vegetation and is dug with the bill or feet, or it is in a hollow in a crevice. When coming back to their nest at night, they will coo softly and listen for their mate.[10]

Conservation[edit]

Widespread and common throughout its large range, with an estimated population of 5,000,000, the fairy prion is evaluated as least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Its range is 24,600,000 km2 (9,500,000 sq mi).[1][12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2018). "Pachyptila turtur". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22698124A132626982. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22698124A132626982.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Kuhl, Heinrich (1820). Beiträge zur Zoologie und vergleichenden Anatomie (in German and Latin). Frankfurt am Main: Verlag der Hermannschen Buchhandlung. p. 143.
  3. ^ Illiger, Johann Karl Wilhelm (1811). Prodromus systematis mammalium et avium (in Latin). Berolini [Berlin]: Sumptibus C. Salfeld. p. 274.
  4. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 288, 393. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. ^ Gotch, A. T. (1995)
  6. ^ Maynard, B. J. (2003)
  7. ^ Double, M. C. (2003)
  8. ^ Ehrlich, Paul R. (1988)
  9. ^ a b Marchant, S.; Higgins, P.G., eds. (1990). "Pachyptila turtur Fairy Prion" (PDF). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds. Volume 1: Ratites to ducks; Part A, Ratites to petrels. Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. pp. 541–549. ISBN 978-0-19-553068-1.
  10. ^ a b Harrison, C. & Greensmith, A. (1993)
  11. ^ Harper (1987). "Feeding behaviour and other notes on 20 species of Procellariiformes at sea". Notornis. 34 (3): 169–192.
  12. ^ BirdLife International (2009)

Sources[edit]

  • Double, M. C. (2003). "Procellariiformes (Tubenosed Seabirds)". In Hutchins, Michael; Jackson, Jerome A.; Bock, Walter J.; Olendorf, Donna (eds.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins. Joseph E. Trumpey, Chief Scientific Illustrator (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 107–111. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
  • Ehrlich, Paul R.; Dobkin, David, S.; Wheye, Darryl (1988). The Birders Handbook (First ed.). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. pp. 29–31. ISBN 0-671-65989-8.
  • Gotch, A. F. (1995) [1979]. "Albatrosses, Fulmars, Shearwaters, and Petrels". Latin Names Explained A Guide to the Scientific Classifications of Reptiles, Birds & Mammals. New York, NY: Facts on File. p. 192. ISBN 0-8160-3377-3.
  • Harrison, C.; Greensmith, A. (1993). Bunting, E. (ed.). Birds of the World. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley. p. 51. ISBN 1-56458-295-7.
  • Maynard, B. J. (2003). "Shearwaters, petrels, and fulmars (Procellariidae)". In Hutchins, Michael; Jackson, Jerome A.; Bock, Walter J.; Olendorf, Donna (eds.). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins. Joseph E. Trumpey, Chief Scientific Illustrator (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 123–133. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
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