There are two subspecies of this bird, desolata which breeds at the Kerguelen and Crozet Islands in the central Indian Ocean and banksi which breeds in the South Atlantic Ocean, on Heard and Macquarie Islands. In the New Zealand region it breeds on the Auckland Islands and Scott Island in the Ross Dependency.
"The antarctic prion was taken at Kerguelen or Desolation Island in 1768 during Cook's first voyage, hence the specific name bestowed by Gmelin. It was taken on The Auckland Islands by thge British Antarctic Expedition in 1840 asnd found breeding there by the National Antarctic expedition in 1907. On Macquarie Island it was found breeding by J.H. Scott in 1880", says Oliver. "Scott called this prion the "Night-bird" and says that it makes its nest in burrows under tussocks where it can be heard during the day cooing like a dove. It leaves its nest at nightime and picks its food up at sea, a short distance from the land."
They are summer breeders and are the largest of the prions, with a wing span of 17-20cm.
Three species of prion, including this one, 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.
Greytown, 2006
