Great Shearwater vs Northern Fulmar
Ardenna gravis comparé à Fulmarus glacialis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | Great Shearwater | Northern Fulmar |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Ardenna gravis | Fulmarus glacialis |
| Ordre | Procellariiformes | Procellariiformes |
| Famille | Procellariidae | Procellariidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | — | 47,0 cm (18.5 in) |
| Envergure | 63,6 cm (25.0 in) | 107,0 cm (42.1 in) |
| Poids | 832,5 g (29.37 oz) | 750,0 g (26.46 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | -- | Fish, squid, crustaceans, offal from fishing vessels, and zooplankton. Feeds by surface-seizing and shallow plunge-diving. |
| Taille de la couvée | 1 | 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
Great Shearwater
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.
Geographic Range & Migration
Great Shearwater
Northern Fulmar
North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Breeds from the Arctic south to Britain, France, and New England.
Statut de conservation
Great Shearwater
Northern Fulmar
How to Tell Them Apart
Great Shearwater
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
About These Birds
Great Shearwater
43–51 cm, wingspan 105–122 cm. Large; dark brown above with white underparts, dark cap, and distinctive scaly pattern on upperwing. Breeds Tristan da Cunha, Gough, and Falklands; migrates to North Atlantic. Feeds on fish and squid; spectacular post-breeding migration past UK coasts.
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.