Sooty Shearwater vs Northern Fulmar
Ardenna grisea compared with Fulmarus glacialis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sooty Shearwater | Northern Fulmar |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ardenna grisea | Fulmarus glacialis |
| Order | Procellariiformes | Procellariiformes |
| Family | Procellariidae | Procellariidae |
| Conservation Status | Near Threatened | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 47.0 cm (18.5 in) |
| Wingspan | 59.1 cm (23.3 in) | 107.0 cm (42.1 in) |
| Weight | 814.0 g (28.71 oz) | 750.0 g (26.46 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Fish, squid, crustaceans, offal from fishing vessels, and zooplankton. Feeds by surface-seizing and shallow plunge-diving. |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Northern Fulmar
Open ocean and sea cliffs. Breeds on cliff ledges and grassy slopes on northern coastlines. Pelagic outside breeding season.
Song & Call Comparison
Sooty Shearwater
Northern Fulmar
A nasal, cackling 'kak-kak-kak-kak' or grunting 'uh-uh-uh' at the nest and colony. Less melodic than petrels. In flight gives occasional single nasal calls.
Geographic Range & Migration
Sooty Shearwater
Northern Fulmar
North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.
Conservation Status
Sooty Shearwater
Northern Fulmar
How to Tell Them Apart
Sooty Shearwater
Northern Fulmar
Yellowish hooked bill with prominent tubular nostrils on top
About These Birds
Sooty Shearwater
40–51 cm, wingspan 94–110 cm. All dark sooty-brown with silvery-white underwing flash. Breeds New Zealand and southern South America; undertakes one of the longest migrations of any animal to North Pacific and Atlantic. Feeds on fish, squid, and krill. Near Threatened; millions estimated.
Northern Fulmar
The northern fulmar is a long-lived seabird that can survive over 40 years. It defends its nest by projectile-vomiting a foul-smelling stomach oil at intruders, which can mat the feathers of predators and cause fatal loss of waterproofing. Fulmars have expanded their breeding range dramatically southward over the past two centuries.