Head to head
Slender-billed Prion vs Broad-billed Prion
Slender-billed Prion
VS Broad-billed Prion
Both prions share the same general body plan, but their bills reflect two very different feeding strategies.
| Slender-billed Prion | Broad-billed Prion | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pachyptila belcheri | Pachyptila vittata |
| Bill shape | The narrowest bill of any prion | The broadest, most densely comb-lined bill |
| Feeding style | Picks out individual prey items | Filters plankton in bulk, whale-like |
| Size | Not the largest prion | The largest prion species |
| Facial pattern | A notably pale face | Not documented as distinctively pale |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Population trend | Stable | Stable |
| Breeding range | Falkland Islands, Kerguelen, Crozet | New Zealand subantarctic islands, Tristan da Cunha, Gough |
Slender-billed Prion vs Broad-billed Prion: common questions
Which one has the narrowest bill?
The slender-billed prion has the narrowest bill of any prion species, an adaptation suited to picking out individual prey items rather than filtering large volumes of seawater.
Which one filters plankton like a miniature whale?
The broad-billed prion feeds this way, using its unusually wide, comb-lined bill to strain plankton from seawater in a manner functionally similar to a filter-feeding baleen whale.
Which one breeds in the largest colonies?
The slender-billed prion breeds in some of the largest colonies of any prion, particularly across the Falkland Islands, where major sites can hold populations numbering in the millions of pairs.