66Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds

66 Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds

Slender-billed Prion (Pachyptila belcheri)

TABLE Species information for the Slender-billed Prion (Pachyptila belcheri)

The Slender-billed Prion (Pachyptila belcheri) is a small, pale prion of Antarctic and subantarctic waters. It can be distinguished from other prions by the small head, slender body and slender bluish bill, mostly white lores and broad white supercilium giving a striking pale-face appearance. The species has an extremely large range. The Slender-billed Prion breeds in the Crozet Islands and the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern Territories), the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and Noir Island, Chile. The species possibly breeds on Macquarie Island. Outside the breeding season it can be found over much of the Southern Ocean, including the coasts of South Africa, Australia and South America as far north as Uruguay and southern Peru. The species can usually be found over oceanic waters but will feed inshore or in shallow offshore waters during the breeding season. It feeds mostly on crustaceans with a high dependence on amphipods but can also take small fish and squid. It catches prey mainly by surface-seizing, dipping and pattering at night. Breeding starts in October in loose colonies in coastal areas with soft or stony soil and low vegetation. It nests in burrows in soft soil or under rocks (del Hoyo et al. 1992).

Brooke (2004) estimated the global population to number at least 7 million individuals. The Australian population is unknown. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any decreases or substantial threats.

The largest colony of Slender-billed Prion, on New Island in the Falklands, has suffered predation from cats (Felis catus) and rats, but appears naturally resilient to this pressure (Hilton and Cuthbert 2017) and eradications have further nullified any population impacts (del Hoyo et al. 2019). Cat predation is however ongoing on Iles Kerguelen, and may be having impacts here alongside predation from skuas on non-breeding birds (del Hoyo et al. 2019).

 Determine breeding status on Macquarie Island

 Implement best practice quarantine measures at breeding colonies to reduce the risk of any invasive species (re)establishing on islands

Wildlife Conservation Plan for Seabirds 67

Fairy Prion (Pachyptila turtur)

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TABLE Species information for the Fairy Prion (Pachyptila turtur)

The Fairy Prion (Pachyptila turtur) is small, circumpolar prion frequenting subantarctic and subtropical waters. The species has a rounded crown, rounded wings and a fairly long wedge-shaped tail. At sea it may be confused with Fulmar Prion (P. crassirostris). Two subspecies breed in Australia, turtur and subantarctica. The subspecies subantarctica has previously been detected breeding on two rock stacks off Macquarie Island in 1979 (Brothers 1984) and Bishop and Clerk Island in 1993 (Brothers and Ledingham 2008) and is listed as vulnerable under the EPBC Act. Fairy Prions can be found breeding on the Chatham Islands, Snares Islands and Antipodes Islands of New Zealand, islands around Tasmania, including the Bass Strait Islands of Australia, the Crozet Islands (French Southern Territories) in the south Indian Ocean and the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia (Georgia del Sur) in the South Atlantic (del Hoyo et al. 1992). The breeding season starts in September and the species is highly colonial, creating burrows in coastal sites on oceanic islands (del Hoyo et al. 1992). The species occurs mainly offshore but may move inshore during stormy weather. Its diet is comprised mostly of crustaceans (especially krill), but occasionally includes some fish and squid. It feeds mainly by surface-seizing and dipping but can also