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the web of life in southern Africa

Pachyptila salvini (Salvin's prion) 

Marionwalvisvoël [Afrikaans]; Salvin-prion [Dutch]; Prion de Salvin [French]; Kleiner entensturmvogel [German]; Painho-filtrador de Salvin [Portuguese]

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria > Dinosauria (dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves (birds) > Order: Ciconiiformes > Family: Procellariidae

Distribution and habitat

Occurs throughout the southern Indian Ocean, usually staying below the Subtropical Front (38-40° South). It is a vagrant to southern African waters, with isolated records in the north-eastern corner of the region and along the coast of South Africa.

Food 

It mainly eats small crustaceans (especially amphipods), supplemented with small fish, squid and chaetognaths.

Threats

Not threatened, although negatively affected by the introduction of domestic cats (Felis catus) at Marion island.

References

  • Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.