Northern Fulmar vs Bermuda Petrel
Fulmarus glacialis compared with Pterodroma cahow
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Northern Fulmar | Bermuda Petrel |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Fulmarus glacialis | Pterodroma cahow |
| Order | Procellariiformes | Procellariiformes |
| Family | Procellariidae | Procellariidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Endangered |
| Length | 47.0 cm (18.5 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 107.0 cm (42.1 in) | 49.0 cm (19.3 in) |
| Weight | 750.0 g (26.46 oz) | 329.8 g (11.63 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
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.
Bermuda Petrel
Geographic Range & Migration
Northern Fulmar
North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.
Bermuda Petrel
Conservation Status
Northern Fulmar
Bermuda Petrel
How to Tell Them Apart
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
Bermuda Petrel
About These Birds
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.
Bermuda Petrel
38 cm. Dark grey-brown above; white below with dark partial collar. Critically Endangered; once thought extinct, rediscovered 1951 in Bermuda. Fewer than 140 breeding pairs on offshore islets. Recovery aided by artificial burrows; feeds on squid and fish in open Atlantic.