[2] The broad-billed prion was described in 1777 by the German naturalist Georg Forster in his book A Voyage Round the World.

He included a brief description: "the blue petrel, so called from its having a blueish-grey colour, and a band of blackish feathers across the whole wing."

[3][4] The broad-billed prion is now placed in the genus Pachyptila that was introduced in 1811 by the German zoologist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger.

[7] The word "prion" comes from the Ancient Greek priōn meaning "a saw", which is in reference to the serrated edges of the bill.

The prions are small and typically eat just zooplankton;[2] however as a member of the Procellariiformes, they share certain identifying features.

This can be sprayed out of their mouths as a defence against predators and as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights.

[9] Finally, they also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe.

[2] The main predators are skuas, although on some islands, cats and rats have reduced this prion's numbers drastically.

Colonies disperse from December onwards, although some adults remain in the vicinity of the breeding islands and may visit their burrows in winter.