Birds
Fairy Prion
Pachyptila turtur · also called fairy prions
Filtering tiny plankton from the sea surface by day and returning to its nesting burrow only under cover of darkness, a fairy prion is the smallest of the Southern Ocean’s filter-feeding prion species, relying on the night sky to slip past predatory skuas waiting at its colony.
Overview
The fairy prion, Pachyptila turtur, is a Least Concern seabird native to ocean and coastal habitat across temperate and subantarctic waters of the Southern Hemisphere. Its status as the smallest prion species, its specialised filter-feeding bill, and its strictly nocturnal colony visits make it one of the more ecologically distinctive small seabirds found across the Southern Ocean.
Small enough to be almost invisible at sea
Easily lost among ocean swells and rarely seen well by observers on passing ships, the fairy prion spends most of its life far from land, coming ashore to breed only in the safety of darkness and only where introduced predators have never gained a foothold.
Status
Least Concern, remaining widespread and generally stable across predator-free breeding islands, though some colonies remain vulnerable wherever introduced predators gain access.
Fairy Prion: common questions
How big is the fairy prion compared with other prions?
This species is the smallest of all the prion species, a group of small filter-feeding seabirds found across the Southern Ocean, noticeably smaller than close relatives such as the Antarctic prion.
Why does the fairy prion only visit its colony at night?
This species visits its breeding colony only under cover of darkness, a strategy that helps it avoid predatory skuas and gulls that would otherwise target adults gathered at the entrances to their nesting burrows.
What does the fairy prion eat?
This species is a carnivore that filters small planktonic crustaceans directly from the sea surface using fine, comb-like structures lining the edges of its bill.
Why are introduced predators such a serious threat to the fairy prion?
This species has little natural defence against mammalian hunters, so any colony where rats, cats, or other introduced predators gain access can suffer severe and rapid population losses.