The Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), fulmar, or Arctic fulmar is a highly abundant sea bird found primarily in subarctic regions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Fulmars come in one of two color morphs: a light one which is almost entirely white, and a dark one which is uniformly gray. Though similar in appearance to gulls, fulmars are in fact members of the Procellariidae family, which include petrels and shearwaters. It and the southern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialodes) together comprise the only extant species in the genus Fulmarus.
They all share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns; however, nostrils on albatrosses are on the sides of the bill, as opposed to the rest of the order, including fulmars, which have nostrils on top of the upper bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates. One of these plates makes up the hooked portion of the upper bill, called the maxillary unguis. They produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This can be sprayed out of their mouths as a defense against predators and as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. It will mat the plumage of avian predators, and can lead to their death. Finally, they also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage that helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nose.
The northern fulmar was first described as Fulmarus glacialis by Carl Linnaeus, in 1761, based on a specimen from within the Arctic Circle, on Spitsbergen.
The 9000 series photos were taken 40 miles out into the Pacific Ocean on a pelagic trip by The Bird Man out of Newport, OR. The bill is characteristic of tubenoses with a tube-like construction. The close-ups show the yellow-white short top tube ending with a black coloration on the beak below it and reddish tip of the bill (9688B, 9983, 9893, 0014). This is the organ that spits out highly salty/smelly water allowing these birds to exist drinking seawater. The foul smell helps in their defense against predators.
The whitish primary feathers help to distinguish the Fulmar in flight (0049, 0149, 0219, 0123).
There is a white variant of the Northern Fulmar which is a very handsome bird (9930, 9788, 9857, 9983, 0014). The frequency of the white variant increases as one goes further north.
The 5000 series photos were taken in Norway, Svalbard and Iceland, 2015.