Jouanin's Petrel vs Northern Fulmar

Bulweria fallax compared with Fulmarus glacialis

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Jouanin's Petrel Northern Fulmar
Scientific Name Bulweria fallax Fulmarus glacialis
Order Procellariiformes Procellariiformes
Family Procellariidae Procellariidae
Conservation Status Near Threatened Least Concern
Length 47.0 cm (18.5 in)
Wingspan 48.2 cm (19.0 in) 107.0 cm (42.1 in)
Weight 167.5 g (5.91 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
Population Trend

Size Comparison

Body Length
Jouanin's Petrel
Northern Fulmar 47.0 cm
Wingspan
Jouanin's Petrel 48.2 cm
Northern Fulmar 107.0 cm
Weight
Jouanin's Petrel 167.5 g
Northern Fulmar 750.0 g

Song & Call Comparison

Jouanin's Petrel

Northern Fulmar

Song

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

Jouanin's Petrel

Northern Fulmar

North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.

Conservation Status

Near Threatened

Jouanin's Petrel

Least Concern

Northern Fulmar

How to Tell Them Apart

Jouanin's Petrel

Northern Fulmar

Bill

Yellowish hooked bill with prominent tubular nostrils on top

About These Birds

Jouanin's Petrel

43–45 cm. Larger than Bulwer's Petrel; all sooty-brown with a wedge-shaped tail and faint pale wing-bar. Breeds southern Arabian Sea islands (Socotra region); ranges in Indian Ocean. Near Threatened; poorly studied. Feeds on squid and fish; crepuscular and nocturnal at sea.

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.

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