Northern Fulmar vs Bryan's Shearwater
Fulmarus glacialis compared with Puffinus bryani
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Northern Fulmar | Bryan's Shearwater |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Fulmarus glacialis | Puffinus bryani |
| Order | Procellariiformes | Procellariiformes |
| Family | Procellariidae | Procellariidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Critically Endangered |
| Length | 47.0 cm (18.5 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 107.0 cm (42.1 in) | 33.0 cm (13.0 in) |
| Weight | 750.0 g (26.46 oz) | 147.0 g (5.19 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
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.
Bryan's Shearwater
Geographic Range & Migration
Northern Fulmar
North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.
Bryan's Shearwater
Conservation Status
Northern Fulmar
Bryan's 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
Bryan's 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.
Bryan's Shearwater
27 cm. Small shearwater; dark brown above, white below with dark smudging on flanks. Known from only a few specimens collected at Midway Atoll; Critically Endangered or possibly extinct. No confirmed breeding in decades; one of the least-known shearwaters.