Identifying a fulmar involves observing its distinct flight pattern, physical characteristics, and typical behaviors, which set it apart from similar seabirds like gulls. These fascinating grey and white seabirds are close relatives of the albatrosses, possessing unique features that make them recognizable once you know what to look for.
Key Features for Fulmar Identification
Fulmars are medium-sized, robust seabirds that combine a gull-like appearance with a more ancient lineage, evident in their specialized physiology.
Distinctive Flight Patterns and Behavior
One of the most immediate indicators of a fulmar is its unique flight.
- Stiff-Winged Flight: Unlike the more flexible, buoyant flight of many gulls, fulmars fly with stiff, unbent wings. They perform shallow wingbeats, often interspersed with long glides.
- Low over the Sea: They frequently fly low over the ocean surface, utilizing air currents. This characteristic flight allows them to glide and turn, showcasing their contrasting white underparts against their grey upperparts.
- Riding Updraughts: At their coastal breeding sites, particularly near high cliffs, fulmars are masters of riding updraughts, soaring effortlessly along the cliff face.
- Defense Mechanism: A unique behavior among fulmars and their petrel relatives is their ability to squirt an oily, foul-smelling stomach oil as a defense mechanism when threatened.
Physical Characteristics
Upon closer inspection, several physical traits distinguish the fulmar:
- Coloration: Fulmars are typically grey and white. The most common morphs include a light phase with a white head, underparts, and grey back and wings, and a darker phase which is more uniformly greyish.
- Bill Structure: A key feature distinguishing fulmars (and all Procellariiformes) is their distinctive tube-nosed bill. They have short, stout bills with prominent, external nasal tubes on the upper mandible, used for excreting salt. This is a crucial identifier that gulls lack.
- Size and Build: They are medium-sized seabirds, generally bulkier than most gulls of similar size, with a noticeably thicker neck.
- Eyes: Their eyes are often dark and appear relatively large, giving them a keen expression.
Habitat and Range
Fulmars are primarily pelagic, meaning they spend most of their lives out at sea, often far from land. However, they return to rocky cliffs, islands, and remote coastal areas to breed, forming large colonies. Their range is extensive, encompassing cool temperate to Arctic waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific. You can learn more about their distribution from resources like the Audubon Guide to North American Birds or the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Distinguishing Fulmars from Similar Species
The primary challenge in identifying a fulmar is often differentiating it from gulls, which share similar grey and white plumage and marine habitats.
Fulmar vs. Gull Comparison
Here's a quick comparison of key identification points:
| Feature | Fulmar | Gull |
|---|---|---|
| Flight Style | Stiff-winged, shallow wingbeats, long glides | More flexible wingbeats, buoyant, often flaps |
| Bill Shape | Short, stout, distinctive tube-nosed | Typically longer, hooked, no external tubes |
| Body Build | Robust, thicker neck, more compact | Often more slender, variable |
| Relation | Related to albatrosses (Procellariiformes) | Related to terns, skimmers (Charadriiformes) |
| Underparts | Often pure white, contrasting with grey upperparts | Variable, often white |
| Behavior | Squirts stomach oil when threatened | Does not squirt oil |
When observing a seabird, pay close attention to its flight dynamics first. If it flies on stiff wings with deliberate, shallow beats and extensive gliding, it's highly likely to be a fulmar. Confirm with the presence of a tube-nosed bill if possible.
For further exploration into seabird identification, reputable guides such as the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America or specialized seabird identification books can be invaluable resources.
