0 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 .
1  there has been one confirmed sighting in the southern hemisphere , with a single bird seen south of new zealand .
2 [5] fulmars come in one of two color morphs: a light one , with white head and body and gray wings and tail , and a dark one which is uniformly gray .
3  though similar in appearance to gulls , fulmars are in fact members of the procellariidae family , which include petrels and shearwaters .
4 the northern fulmar and its sister species , the southern fulmar (fulmarus glacialodes), are the extant members of the genus fulmarus .
5  the fulmars are in turn a member of the order procellariiformes , and they all share certain identifying features .
6  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 .
7  the bills of procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates .
8  one of these plates makes up the hooked portion of the upper bill , called the maxillary unguis .
9  they produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus .
10  this can be sprayed out of their mouths as a defense against predators from a very early age , and as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights .
11  it will mat the plumage of avian predators , and can lead to their death .
12  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 .
13  this gland excretes a high saline solution from their nose .
14 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 .
15 the northern fulmar consists of three sub-species:fulmarus glacialis can be broken down to the old norse word full meaning "foul" and mar meaning "gull" .
16  "foul-gull" is in reference to its stomach oil and also its superficial similarity to seagulls .
17  finally , glacialis is latin for "glacial" because of its extreme northern range .
18 the northern fulmar has a wingspan of {convert|102|to(-)|112|cm|in|abbr=on} and is {convert|46|cm|in|abbr=on} .
19  body weight can range from {convert|450|to|1000|g|lb|abbr=on} .
20  these species are grey and white with a pale yellow , thick , bill and bluish legs; however there is both a light morph and dark morph .
21  in the pacific ocean there is an intermediate morph as well .
22  all morphs have certain similarities , such as only the dark morph has more than dark edges on the underneath , and they all have pale inner primaries on the top of the wings .
23  the pacific morph has a darker tail than the atlantic morph .
24 like other petrels , their walking ability is limited , but they are strong fliers , with a stiff wing action quite unlike the gulls .
25  they look bull-necked compared to gulls , and have short stubby bills .
26  they are long-lived , with a lifespan of 31 years not uncommon .
27 this fulmar will feed on shrimp , fish , squid , plankton , jellyfish , and carrion , as well as refuse .
28  when eating fish , they will dive up to several feet deep to retrieve their prey .
29 the northern fulmar starts breeding at between six and twelve years old .
30  it is monogamous , and forms long term pair bonds .
31  it returns to the same nest site year after year .
32  breeding season starts in may; however , the female has glands that store sperm to allow weeks to pass after copulation to the laying of the egg .
33  their nest is a scrape on a grassy ledge or a saucer of vegetation on the ground , lined with softer material .
34  the birds nest in large colonies recently , they have started nesting on rooftops and buildings .
35  both sexes are involved in the nest building process .
36  a single white egg , {convert|61|mm|in|2|abbr=on} in size , is incubated for a period of 50 to 54 days , by both sexes .
37  the altricial chick is brooded for 2 weeks and fully fledges after 70 to 75 days .
38  again , both sexes are involved .
39  during this period , the parents are nocturnal , and will not even be active on well-lit nights .
40 the mating ritual of this fulmar consists of the female resting on a ledge and the male landing with his bill open and his head back .
41  he commences to wave his head side to side and up and down while calling .
42 they make grunting and chuckling sounds while eating and guttural calls during the breeding season .
43 the northern fulmar is estimated to have between 15,000,000 and 30,000,000 mature individuals , that occupy an occurrence range of {convert|28400000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on} and their north american population is on the rise , hence it is listed with the iucn as least concern .
44  the range of these species increased greatly last century due to the availability of fish offal from commercial fleets , but may contract because of less food from this source and climatic change .
45  the population increase has been especially notable in the british isles .
