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The Broad-Billed Prion in Victoria by ROY P

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The Broad-Billed Prion in Victoria by ROY P June ] COOPER, Broad-billed Prion in Victoria 89 1968 shore-line the lower they appeared to allow their body to sink into the water. When flying, they flew with rapid wing beats close to the surface of the water. Head and feet were held out stiffly fore and aft, and the neck curved slightly downward from the body. This meant that when flying the head was probably closer to the water than any other portion of the body. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to observe the young birds. Failure was due to the extreme shyness of the parents and the abundance of natural cover. On one occasion, from a consider­ able distance, three small objects were seen with the pair of adults. They immediately entered a large patch of reeds and could not be flushed or coaxed out. Observations ceased at the end of February, 1967. REFERENCE TARR H . E. 1959, "Observations on the Great Crested Grebe," The Australian Bird Watcher, I : 33-35. The Broad-billed Prion in Victoria By ROY P. COOPER, Melbourne. In February, 1967, a short note appeared in the Bird Observer, (No. 423) stating that the remains of two Broad-billed Prions (Pachyptila vittata) were picked up on, apparently, the southern beach on Phillip Island, Victoria, during July, 1966. They were sent to the Director of the Dominion Museum, Wellington, New Zealand, for identification. Confirmation that they were actually the Broad-billed Prion was later received, but as the skins had been entered in the register of the museum they were not returned. This was the first record of a specimen of this species in Victoria. A new observation of the occurrence of this species on a Vic­ torian beach is now recorded. On August 6, 1967, on the beach at Oberon Bay, Wilson's Promontory, Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Bradley found the remains of a prion that appeared to be of this species. At the time that the discovery was made the Bradleys were taking part in the "Survey of the Birds of Wilson's Promontory" and on their return to the headquarters of the Group that evening, the bird was quickly identified as the Broad-billed Prion (Pachyptila vittata). On that week-end a thorough search, by members of the Group, of Five-mile and Johnny Suzy beaches on the east coast, and of Oberon, Norman, Leonard, Picnic, Whisky and Darby beaches on the west coast of the Promontory had been carried out. During July and August it is usual to pick up the remains of many beach-washed birds, as at this time of the year the southern birds are here on their winter migration. However, the mildness of this winter and the lack of big seas have resulted in practically 90 COOPER, Broad-billed Prion in Victoria [ Bird Watcher no southern birds being washed up on the beaches. In addition the sea-currents had washed up large quantities of sand on to the beaches, and much material was covered up. It was, therefore, most remarkable that the only bird, excluding a few of the local Short-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) and the Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor), that was found was this rare Victorian species. The details of the measurements of the head of this bird are as follows. Beak width 20.5 mm; culmen length 34.5 mm; ratio of length to width, 1.8; nasal tube to base of dertrum 16.5 mm; lamellae on the upper mandible was almost 2 mm in depth and it extended from the gape to the dertrum, a distance of 39 mm. The lamellae was clearly visible at the base of the beak when it was closed . The width of the bill and the size of the lamellae shows that the Broad-billed Prion feeds extensively on minute marine life, using the lamellae to catch the tiny creatures as the water is passed through the extremely wide bill . However, when the birds are feeding nestlings they capture much larger and more substantial food (Oliver, 1955), but in the non-breeding months of the year they resort to minute plankton life for sustenance. The Broad-billed Prion is a rare visitor to Australia. In Western Australia, Serventy and Whittell (1962) state that "This prion is cast up on our beaches only on very rare occasions." It was not until 1964 that the first and the only specimen was found in South Australia (Condon, 1965), when "A live bird was found at Cow­ andilla, an Adelaide suburb about two miles from the sea." In New South Wales, A. R. McGill (1960) states "Rare. Found at times washed up on the beaches during winter near Sydney and localities to the south". There are no previous records from Victoria. There are six different species of prions of the genus Pachyptila recorded from Australian waters, and beach-washed specimens of each have been picked up on our beaches. However, one species, the Fulmer Prion, also known as the Thick-billed or Bounty Island Prion, (P. crassirostris), has been recorded on one occasion only. The remaining five-species- Dove-Prion, Fairy Prion, Thin­ billed, Medium-billed and the Broad-billed Prions - are somewhat alike in colouration and size. Contrary to the usual method of species differentia by colour, these birds are identified by the size of the bills. A description of the Broad-billed Prion shows that the upper parts are a delicate blue-grey, mottled black on the crown; blackish on the wing coverts and the outer primaries; central tail feathers with a black terminal bar; blackish on the rump; behind and below the eye blackish; eye-stripe, lores and all the under surface white. The extraordinary wide bill has the nasal tubes, culmen and der­ trum black, with the remainder of the upper mandible and the lower mandible purplish-blue; feet bluish with yellowish webs. June ] SMITH, Wilson's Phalarope 91 1968 It has a wide distribution throughout the southern oceans between 60° S. and 40° S., with an occasional northward move­ ment to Madagascar, Reunion, Southern Australia and the North Island of New Zealand, etc. It breeds freely on the coast of the Foveaux Strait and on islands off the South Island of New Zealand, also on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island in the south Atlantic, and on St. Paul Island in the Indian Ocean. (Alexander 1955). Since the foregoing notes were written A. R. McGill has advised me that the known records of the occurrence of P. vittata in New South Wales, as compiled by K. A. Hindwood, are as follows. They are reproduced here in an endeavour to make this report as com­ plete as possible. July, 1904. 1 specimen. Long Bay. Published Museum records say that the beach was strewn with them, but that undoubtedly would refer to many bodies of prions of pro- bably various species. July, 1904. 1 specimen. Maroubra. Published records as above. July, 1948. 1 Bate Bay. Messrs. Hindwood, Everett and McGill. Aug., 1954. 1 Bate Bay. F. Johnston. July, 1954. 1 Dee Why. T. Iredale. July, 1954. 2 Thirroul. Messrs. Gibson and Sefton. July, 1954. 1 Ulladulla. C. Humphries. REFERENCES ALEXANDER, W. B., 1955. Birds of the Ocean, p. 45 Putnam Press, London. CoNDON, H . T. , 1965. "A Handlist of the Birds of South Australia, Supple­ ment No. 1". The South Australian Ornithologist, p. 71. McGILL, A. R., 1960. A Hand List of the Birds of New South Wales, p. 8 V. C. N. Blight, Government Printer, Sydney, New South Wales. OLIVER, W. R. B., 1955. New Zealand Birds, p. 124. A. H. & A. W. Reed, Wellington, New Zealand. SERVENTY, D. L. & WHITTELL, H. M., 1962. Birds of Western Australia, p. 84. Paterson Brokensha Pty. Ltd., Perth, Western Australia. An Australian Sight Record of Wilson's Phalarope By F. T. H. SMITH, Kew, Victoria Wilson's Phalarope (Steganopus tricolor), sometimes placed in the genus Phalaropus, the largest of the three world species of phalaropes, is here reported from Australia. The breeding range is from the central states of Canada and the United States of America, westward to the Pacific Ocean. It migrates as far south as the Falkland Islands and then commonly occurs in Argentina and Chile. The bird is known to frequent large inland lakes at both extremities of its migration. However, its activities in its winter quarters are not yet fully known. Occasionally the species strays .
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