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

Body Length
Northern Fulmar 47.0 cm
Bermuda Petrel
Wingspan
Northern Fulmar 107.0 cm
Bermuda Petrel 49.0 cm
Weight
Northern Fulmar 750.0 g
Bermuda Petrel 329.8 g

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Northern Fulmar only

None

Bermuda Petrel only

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

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.

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

Least Concern

Northern Fulmar

Endangered

Bermuda Petrel

How to Tell Them Apart

Northern Fulmar

Bill

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.

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