MacGillivray's Prion - BirdForum Opus

Pachyptila macgillivrayi

Identification

25-28cm, wingspan 57-58 cm.

• Pearl grey to bluish grey upperparts, darker on crown and forehead
• Blackish subterminal band on rearmost scapulars and tertials, limited at the rear by a narrow whitish-grey edge
• Blackish stripe over spread wings shows a figure similar to an "M"
• Grey or bluish-grey uppertail, paler on sides and broadly black at tip
• White superciliary stripe and on side of forehead to cheek and lower face
• Slate grey mask from in front of the eye to most of ear-coverts
• White underparts except for broad dark area along central tail and small dark tips on outer primaries
• Bill is grey-blue with black ridge on culmen

Sexes similar. Juveniles have broader white tips to rear scapulars.

Similar species

Very difficult to distinguish from Broad-billed Prion at sea. Has a slightly smaller and bluer bill, the forehead is not so steep and the partial pectoral band often less conspicuous. Also very similar to Antarctic Prion. The tail is a little shorter, the bill marginally larger and the pectoral band often less noticeable.

Distribution

Breeds in the Southern Atlantic Ocean (Gough Island) and the Southern Indian Ocean (Saint-Paul Island, formerly also Amsterdam Island). The at-sea distribution not well known

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Formerly included in Broad-billed Prion or in Salvin's Prion.

Habitat

At sea except when visiting breeding islands.

Behaviour

Breeds in burrows or caves and crevices.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2) DRAFT. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Kirwan, G. M., C. Carboneras, F. Jutglar, and C. J. Sharpe (2022). MacGillivray's Prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman and N. D. Sly, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.salpri3.01

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) MacGillivray's Prion. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/MacGillivray%27s_Prion

External Links

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