Northern Fulmar vs Bonin Petrel
Fulmarus glacialis compared with Pterodroma hypoleuca
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Northern Fulmar | Bonin Petrel |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Fulmarus glacialis | Pterodroma hypoleuca |
| Order | Procellariiformes | Procellariiformes |
| Family | Procellariidae | Procellariidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 47.0 cm (18.5 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 107.0 cm (42.1 in) | 45.6 cm (18.0 in) |
| Weight | 750.0 g (26.46 oz) | 229.0 g (8.08 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
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.
Bonin Petrel
Geographic Range & Migration
Northern Fulmar
North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.
Bonin Petrel
Conservation Status
Northern Fulmar
Bonin 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
Bonin 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.
Bonin Petrel
30 cm. Pale grey above with dark M-mark; white below with dark partial collar. Breeds Northwest Hawaiian Islands and Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands. Migrates to south Pacific after breeding. Feeds on squid and fish; population recovering after rat eradication on breeding islands.