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
Song & Call Comparison
Jouanin's Petrel
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
Jouanin's Petrel
Northern Fulmar
North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.
Conservation Status
Jouanin's Petrel
Northern Fulmar
How to Tell Them Apart
Jouanin's Petrel
Northern Fulmar
Light morph: white head and underparts with grey wings and back. Dark morph: entirely grey. Tube-nosed bill and stiff-winged flight distinctive at sea.
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.