Australia
SpeciesField NotesLog inDownload

Field notes

Stay in the loop

Get updates, new features, and Australian birding news.

By subscribing, I agree to receive BirdUp Australia updates, new features, and Australian birding news.

Australia
Download for iOSDownload for AndroidSpeciesField NotesRSSNewsletterBrandPrivacyTerms

BirdUp Australia Pty Ltd © 2026. Made in Australia for Australian birders.

  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Procellariidae
  4. ›
  5. Pachyptila
  6. ›
  7. Fairy Prion
Fairy Prion
Photo · Charles Joseph Hullmandel

BirdUp · Species

Fairy Prion

Pachyptila turtur(Kuhl, 1820)

Updated 21 March 2026

Also known asTiti Wainui

Conservation status: Least ConcernOrigin: Native
Order
PROCELLARIIFORMES
Family
Procellariidae
Genus
Pachyptila

At a glance

The Fairy Prion is a medium-sized bird, about 25 cm long, listed as Least Concern and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
25 cm
Conservation status
Least Concern
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Fairy Prion look like?

The Fairy Prion is a medium-sized bird, about 25 cm long and weighing 76–178 g.

The fairy prion is a small seabird with the standard prion plumage of blue-grey upperparts with a prominent dark "M" marking and white underneath. The sexes are alike. It is a small prion which frequents the low subantarctic and subtropic seas.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
25 cm
Weight
76–178 g
Wingspan
56 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

Field tips

behaviour

  • Watch for birds feeding actively on the wing by briefly hovering or dipping their bills into the water to snatch prey without fully landing.

flight

  • The flight is exceptionally agile and erratic, featuring rapid wingbeats and frequent, sudden banking close to the water's surface that flashes the bird's contrasting surfaces.

plumage

  • Identify by the unusually broad black band at the tip of the wedge-shaped tail, which appears much more extensive and conspicuous than on most other prions.

size_and_shape

  • Look for a notably short, stubby bill and a steeply rising forehead that gives the head a distinctively rounded profile.

voice

  • At nocturnal breeding colonies, listen for a soft, rhythmic, dove-like cooing call that differs from the harsher sounds of larger petrels.

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Fairy Prion?

The Fairy Prion is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Fairy Prion eat?

The Fairy Prion feeds on fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

2 photos

The BirdUp app

Log your next Fairy Prion in the field

A pocket field journal for 850+ Australian birds. Offline-first, smart ID, and a lifelist that travels with you.

Get the appRead field notes
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report incorrect info

02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Fairy Prion live in Australia?

The Fairy Prion is native to Australia, recorded across 27 of Australia’s bioregions, with a core range spanning southern oceans.

BreedingSouthern oceans: Bass Strait islands (east.g. Albatross Is, Lady Julia Percy Is) and Macquarie Is; also Falklands to New Zealand islands.

Non-breedingWidespread in southern oceans north to roughly 35° south; often found in Australian coastal waters including the Great Australian Bight and East Australian Current.

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Non-breeding
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded