Fulmarus glacialis - Northern Fulmar
Feather characters. Barbules are short (0.6-0.9 mm) and are not, or only slightly pigmented. Borders between cells are visible, but hardly swollen and thus too small to qualify as nodes. These nodal structures (23-31 per mm) have about the same size along the entire length of the barbules, only slightly decreasing towards the tip. Villi are absent and internodes are straight. Short prongs are equally distributed along the entire length of barbules, on both sides of the pennulum. Their length varies, they are longest on the tips of barbules and these prongs may reach the same length as the adjacent internode.
Field characters. Length 45-50 cm; wingspan 102-112 cm. Weight: male 609 g (485-727), female 479 g (395-582) (Dunning, 1993). Slightly larger than Common Gull. Superficially like a gull but more robust and with thick neck and rigid, rather narrow wings without black tips. Short and thick bill is yellow; legs bluish. Flight of the regular petrel type with long glides on stiffly extended wings interrupted by intervals of leisurely flapping. Head, neck and upperparts slightly yellowish-white; back wings, and tail grey; wings with whitish patch at base of primaries. Dark, northern phase entirely smoky grey with darker wings tips.
Voice. Generally silent, but on breeding ground 'cackling' sounds and also a succession of guttural notes.
Distribution. Locally abundant. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Nests in large colonies on cliffs on the coast, usually on turf or on bare soil. Pelagic outside the breeding season.
Food. Chiefly crustaceans, fish, cephalopods, fish-offal, and carrion. Prey is usually picked up from water surface whilst floating or swimming.