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Prion (bird)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the infectious agent bearing the same name, see prion.
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 Broad-billed Prion
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Fairy Prion, P. turtur |
The prions are small petrels in the genus Pachyptila. Together with the Blue Petrel, they form one of the four groups within the Procellariidae (also referred to as the prions), along with the gadfly petrels, shearwaters and fulmarine petrels.
They are found in the Southern Ocean and breed on a number of subantarctic islands. Prions grow 20-27 cm long, and have blue-grey upperparts and white underparts. Three species of prion have flattened bills with a fringe of lamellae that act as strainers. All prions are marine and feed on small crustacea such as copepods, ostracods, decapods, and krill, as well as some fish such as myctophids and nototheniids.
Genus Pachyptila
- Fairy Prion, P. turtur
- Slender-billed Prion, P. belcheri
- Fulmar Prion, P. crassirostris
- Broad-billed Prion, P. vittata
- Antarctic Prion, P. desolata
- Salvin's Prion, P. salvin
In addition, fossil remains of 4 hitherto undescribed prehistoric species have been found.
- Cherel, Y., Bocher, P., De Broyer, C., Hobson, K.A., (2002) "Food and feeding ecology of the sympatric thin-billed Pachyptila belcheri and Antarctic P. desolata prions at Iles Kerguelen, Southern Indian Ocean" Marine Ecology Progress Series 228: 263–281 [1]