Broad-billed Prion

Pararā is a blue-grey-and-white prion named for its exceptionally broad bill, which carries comb-like filtering plates. Like other prions it has a black M across the back and a black tail tip, but its massive lead-grey bill is 18.7–24.3 mm wide. Salvin’s and Antarctic prions have distinctly narrower bills.

Large colonies occur in the Chatham Islands and on subantarctic islands, with birds dispersing widely around New Zealand seas. Pararā hydroplane into the wind and filter tiny crustaceans from the upper water layer with bill lamellae; they nest in burrows and lay one egg.

Broad-billed prion is At Risk — Relict (NZ Threat Classification). Rats and cats have destroyed colonies, and birds compete strongly for burrows with smaller petrels. Chatham and subantarctic waters are most reliable; mainland pelagic trips encounter prions but species-level identification can be difficult.