Prion (bird)
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Order: Procellariiformes
Family: Procellariidae
Genus: Pachyptila

[Photo] Broad-billed Prion Pachyptila vittata. Source: Bird stamps from Tristan da Cunha, 2005. URL: www.birdtheme.org/country/tristan.html

The prions are small petrels in the genus Pachyptila. Together with the Blue Petrel, they form one of the four groups within the Procellariidae (also referred to as the prions), along with the gadfly petrels, shearwaters and fulmarine petrels.

They are found in the Southern Ocean and breed on a number of subantarctic islands. Prions grow 20-27 cm long, and have blue-grey upperparts and white underparts. Three species of prion have flattened bills with a fringe of lamellae that act as strainers. All prions are marine and feed on small crustacea such as copepods, ostracods, decapods, and krill, as well as some fish such as myctophids and nototheniids.

List of species
Genus Pachyptila

Fairy Prion, Pachyptila turtur
Slender-billed Prion, Pachyptila belcheri
Fulmar Prion, Pachyptila crassirostris
Broad-billed Prion, Pachyptila vittata
Antarctic Prion, Pachyptila desolata
Salvin's Prion, Pachyptila salvini

In addition, fossil remains of 4 hitherto undescribed prehistoric species have been found.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachyptila

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