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Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis Order: PROCELLARIIFORMES Family: Petrels and Shearwaters (Procellariidae)
Codes: Common Name: NOFU Scientific Name: FULGLA ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174536
Least Concern
 
Northern Fulmar: The light morph Northern Fulmar has gray upperparts and white underparts, head, neck, and tail.
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
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Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Northern Fulmar Light Morph: Large gull-like bird with gray upperparts and white underparts, head, neck, and tail. Dark morph has uniformly dark gray body and paler primaries. Bill is short, thick, and yellow with a tube on top. Flight alternates stiff wing beats with periods of gliding and banking.

Range and Habitat

Northern Fulmar Light Morph: Breeds in Aleutians and on coasts and islands of Alaska and Canadian Arctic. Spends winters at sea, in Pacific Ocean south to California and in Atlantic south to North Carolina; also in northern Eurasia. Pelagic, only comes ashore to breed.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

Generally silent

Interesting Facts

 The Northern Fulmar is one of the longest-lived birds. In Scotland, several were banded as adults in 1951 and were still breeding in 1990, at ages likely greater than 50 years.

 Nesting birds and chicks can eject an evil smelling stomach oil up to 6 feet, which repels unwanted visitors. It will matt the plumage of avian predators, and can lead to their death.

 Most do not breed until they are at least 8 to 10 years old; one study found an individual that started breeding at age 20.

 Two prehistoric species have been described from fossil bones found on the Pacific coast of California.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Irina Rud-Volga

Splitbar
Range Map for Northern Fulmar

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Family Fulmar (Procellariidae)_blue
Species Fulmarus glacialis
Length19 Inches
Wingspan42 Inches

Northern Fulmar

Northern Fulmar Light Morph: Large gull-like bird with gray upperparts and white underparts, head, neck, and tail. Dark morph has uniformly dark gray body and paler primaries. Bill is short, thick, and yellow with a tube on top. Flight alternates stiff wing beats with periods of gliding and banking.

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Northern Fulmar Light Morph: Eats fish, crustaceans, marine worms, squid, and carrion. Snatches food at or just below the water surface; eats on the water.

● Breeding & nesting: Northern Fulmar Light Morph: One red marked, white egg is laid in a slight ground depression, sometimes lined with pebbles. Incubation ranges from 52 to 53 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Northern Fulmar Light Morph: Gulls have more slender necks, thinner bills without nasal tubes, and deep, steady, flapping wing beats.

Flight Pattern

Flap and glide flight on bowed wings with bursts of stiff wing beats alternating with periods of effortless banking and gliding.
Northern Fulmar Dark Morph Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Northern Fulmar Light Morph: Breeds in Aleutians and on coasts and islands of Alaska and Canadian Arctic. Spends winters at sea, in Pacific Ocean south to California and in Atlantic south to North Carolina; also in northern Eurasia. Pelagic, only comes ashore to breed.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
Population
MigrationMigratory
Weight20 - 22 Ounces
Gull-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
PrimariesX
The primaries are the flight feathers specialized for flight. They are attached to the "hand" equivalent part of the wing.
PelagicX
The pelagic is a type of bird whose habitat is on the open ocean rather than in a coastal region or on inland bodies of water (lakes, rivers). An example of a pelagic bird is the blacklegged kittiwake.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX