Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 15.4–19.7 in
39–50 cm - Wingspan
- 39.4–44.1 in
100–112 cm - Weight
- 15.9–35.3 oz
450–1000 g
Other Names
- Fulmar
- Fulmar boréal (French)
- Fulmar boreal (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Northern Fulmar is one of the longest-lived birds. Data from one study indicate a mean adult life span of about 32 years. In Scotland, several Northern Fulmars banded as adults in 1951 were still breeding in 1990, at ages likely greater than 50 years.
- The Northern Fulmar begins breeding at an exceptionally old age. 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.
- The Northern Fulmar is well known among commercial fishermen for its avid scavenging of offal thrown from whaling and fishing boats.
- The population of Northern Fulmars in the northeast Atlantic has dramatically increased over the past 250 years. Once only one colony was found in northern Iceland, and none off the Faeroes or the British Isles. Now hundreds of colonies exist across all the coasts of these islands. It is unclear whether this change has resulted from natural oceanographic changes, from increased food availability from fishing vessels, or from some other factor.
- The Northern Fulmar can dive to a depth of at least 3 meters (10 feet).
Habitat
Ocean
Breeds on steep sea cliffs. Winters at sea from ice-covered northern waters to temperate zones.
Food
Fish
Fish, squid, zooplankton, offal from fishing and whaling vessels, and other animal matter found at sea.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1 eggs
- Egg Description
- White.
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy and helpless, eyes open.
Nest Description
Scrape on bare rock or pebbles.
Nest Placement
Cliff
Behavior
Dabbler
Takes food while swimming or plunging at surface of water.
Conservation
Least Concern
No immediate threat, but high local density of breeding populations may make the species vulnerable to catastrophic changes in food supply or other environmental conditions.
Credits
- Hatch, S. A., and D. N. Nettleship. 1998. Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis). In The Birds of North America, No. 361 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.