This week’s featured Hauraki Gulf seabird is the Fairy Prion. These beautiful blue/grey and white birds are abundant and reminiscent of pigeons of the sea with large flocks congregating at work-ups of feeding fish. Prions are easy to identify with their unique colour and pattern over their back but differentiating the prion species can be more difficult as the main differences are in the bill shape and are hard to appreciate in a small moving bird at sea. In the Hauraki Gulf any prion seen is most likely to be a Fairy Prion but occasional Broad-billed and Antarctic Prions can be seen in the area.

Fairy Prions breed on the Poor Knights Islands along with the Buller’s Shearwater. Their breeding seasons coincide which can raise the issue of competition for breeding sites. Fairy Prions form monogamous pairs which remain together for many seasons. They lay a single egg, sharing incubation for 44-54 days and then sharing feeding duties until the chick fledges at 43-56 days. Chicks return to the breeding colonies at 2-3 years and begin breeding when 3-4 years old.

Fairy Prions feed on prey items captured in the upper layer of the water by shallow diving or dipping into the water. Food is mainly small pelagic crustaceans (krill), small fish and squid.

For more information see NZBirdsOnline.

All photos with Nikon D500 and Nikon 500mm f5.6PF lens. On a pelagic trip there are usually plenty of opportunities on Fairy Prions with the challenge being isolating one among a cloud of others.