Northern Fulmar vs Tropical Shearwater
Fulmarus glacialis compared with Puffinus bailloni
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Northern Fulmar | Tropical Shearwater |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Fulmarus glacialis | Puffinus bailloni |
| 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) | 37.0 cm (14.6 in) |
| Weight | 750.0 g (26.46 oz) | 212.0 g (7.48 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.
Tropical Shearwater
Geographic Range & Migration
Northern Fulmar
North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.
Tropical Shearwater
Conservation Status
Northern Fulmar
Tropical Shearwater
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
Tropical Shearwater
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.
Tropical Shearwater
27–31 cm. Small; dark brown above; white below. Breeds islands of Indian Ocean and west Pacific. Several subspecies sometimes treated as separate species. Feeds on fish and squid; nocturnal at breeding colonies. Part of the Audubon's Shearwater species complex.