The northern fulmar, Arctic fulmar, or simply fulmar, is an abundant seabird found primarily in subarctic regions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. There has been one confirmed sighting in the Southern Hemisphere, with a single bird seen south of New Zealand. Fulmars come in one of two colour morphs; a light one in temperate populations, with white head and body and grey wings and tail, and a dark one in arctic populations, which is uniformly grey; intermediate birds are common. Though similar in appearance to gulls, fulmars are in fact members of the family Procellariidae, which includes petrels and shearwaters.
Region
North Atlantic and North Pacific subarctic
Typical Environment
Breeds on rocky sea cliffs and offshore islands across the North Atlantic and parts of the North Pacific, from the North American Arctic and Greenland to Iceland, the British Isles, Scandinavia, and into the Bering Sea. Outside the breeding season it is highly pelagic, dispersing widely over cold, productive waters. It prefers continental shelf edges, upwelling zones, and areas with strong currents where prey aggregates. Rare vagrants have reached more temperate waters and there is a single confirmed record south of New Zealand.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Polar
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A tubenose seabird, the northern fulmar can eject a waxy, foul-smelling stomach oil to deter predators and waterproof its plumage. It is long-lived, often exceeding 30 years, and breeds on sea cliffs in dense colonies, laying a single egg. Despite a gull-like appearance, it is a close relative of petrels and shearwaters and uses dynamic soaring to travel vast distances over cold oceans.
Fulmarus glacialis auduboni at Heligoland, Germany
Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii off Morro Bay, California
Fulmar egg
Nests in County Mayo, Ireland
Temperament
colonial and assertive near nests
Flight Pattern
soaring glider with stiff, shallow wingbeats and dynamic soaring
Social Behavior
Breeds in dense colonies on cliffs, ledges, and grassy slopes, often returning to the same site for many years. Pairs form long-term bonds, perform mutual displays, and lay a single egg in a shallow scrape. Both parents share incubation and chick-rearing duties, and fledglings head to sea soon after leaving the nest.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet at sea, but at colonies it gives harsh cackles, chuckles, and grating calls during pair displays and territorial encounters. Vocalizations are coarse and carry well over the noise of the colony.
