CreatureData

MacGillivray's prion

Pachyptila macgillivrayi (Mathews, 1912)

CRCritically Endangeredbirds

The macgillivray's prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi) is a species in the family Procellariidae, order Procellariiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 159 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered.

MacGillivray's prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi)
Photo: JJ Harrison · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the macgillivray's prion

Weight
159 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
marinesrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Lifestyle
Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the macgillivray's prion live?

Not recorded

What is the macgillivray's prion?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

MacGillivray's prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi) is a species of small petrel (a prion) in the Southern Ocean. It is found on Roche Quille, off Saint Paul Island and on Gough Island in the Tristan da Cunha group, south-central Atlantic Ocean. It was formerly present on Amsterdam Island in the central South Indian Ocean. The population on Saint Paul Island has been increasing since the 1990s eradication of introduced rats and rabbits, but is still likely smaller than the original size.

MacGillivray's prion was formerly considered to be conspecific with Salvin's prion but is now considered to be a separate species based on molecular phylogenetic analysis and a comparison of the bill morphologies that was published in 2022.

MacGillivray's prions moult for longer than other prion species.

Their diet and foraging habits are generally unknown, but they are hypothesized to feed on small zooplankton.

From the Wikipedia article “MacGillivray's prion” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MacGillivray%27s_prion&oldid=1340036214), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the macgillivray's prion endangered?

The macgillivray's prion is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species. What the categories mean.

How is the macgillivray's prion classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderProcellariiformes
  5. familyProcellariidae
  6. genusPachyptila
  7. SpeciesPachyptila macgillivrayi (Mathews, 1912)

Synonyms Pachyptila forsteri macgillivrayi, Pachyptila salvini macgillivrayi, Pachyptila salvini macgillvrayi, Pachyptila vittata macgillivrayi, Prion vittatus macgillivrayi

Other names and names in other languages (18)
  • Saint Paul prionEnglish
  • Salvin's prion (MacGillivray's)English
  • Petrell prió de MacGillivrayCatalan
  • buřňák amsterdamskýCzech
  • Amsterdam HvalfuglDanish
  • MacGillivray-EntensturmvogelGerman
  • amsterdama petreletoEsperanto
  • Prion de MacGillivrayFrench
  • MacGillivrays PrionDutch
  • spadenebbhvalfuglNorwegian
  • petrelek amsterdamskiPolish
  • faigão-da-amesterdãoPortuguese
  • faigão-da-amesterdãPortuguese
  • faigão-de-macgillivrayPortuguese
  • hladinár amsterdamskýSlovak
  • amsterdamvalfågelSwedish
  • пріон гофськийUkrainian
  • 麦氏锯鹱Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the macgillivray's prion

Other species in the same genus Pachyptila.

LC, Least Concern
Fairy prion (Pachyptila turtur)

Fairy prion

Pachyptila turtur

Procellariidae

LC, Least Concern
Fulmar prion (Pachyptila crassirostris)

Fulmar prion

Pachyptila crassirostris

Procellariidae

CompareMacGillivray's prion vs Antarctic prionMacGillivray's prion vs Broad-billed prionMacGillivray's prion vs Slender-billed prionMacGillivray's prion vs Fairy prion

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the macgillivray's prion?

An adult macgillivray's prion weighs 159 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the macgillivray's prion endangered?

The macgillivray's prion is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the macgillivray's prion?

The macgillivray's prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi) belongs to the family Procellariidae in the order Procellariiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). MacGillivray's prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/macgillivrays-prion

MLA

“MacGillivray's prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/macgillivrays-prion.

BibTeX
@misc{macgillivrays_prion_2026,
  title = {MacGillivray's prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/macgillivrays-prion},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}