Northern Fulmar vs Rapa Shearwater
Fulmarus glacialis compared with Puffinus myrtae
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Northern Fulmar | Rapa Shearwater |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Fulmarus glacialis | Puffinus myrtae |
| 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) | 48.2 cm (19.0 in) |
| Weight | 750.0 g (26.46 oz) | 237.5 g (8.38 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
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.
Rapa Shearwater
Geographic Range & Migration
Northern Fulmar
North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.
Rapa Shearwater
Conservation Status
Northern Fulmar
Rapa 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
Rapa 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.
Rapa Shearwater
30–33 cm. Dark above; white below. Breeds Rapa Island (French Polynesia). Critically Endangered with a very small population on a single island. Poorly known; threatened by introduced predators. Ranges in central south Pacific; one of the rarest shearwaters.