adult swimming

adult swimming upperwing European distribution pair courtship display at nest

Identification

Fulmars look more like gulls than petrels but their grey wings have pale patches in the primaries and are always held stiffly, either horizontally or slightly bowed. The whiteness of their bodies and relative thickness of their head gives them the nickname of 'flying milk bottle'. At close range their strange bill, like an unfinished Airfix kit, proves that these birds have the tube nose typical of the petrel family.

Habitat

Breeds colonially on cliff-ledges, also on the ground and on buildings in remote areas. Winters at sea.

Behaviour

The young birds are fed on a regurgitated oily liquid which smells utterly foul. It can therefore be used as a successful repellent since both adults and young can squirt it for distances up to three feet towards any predator, or human, which approaches the nest.

Migration

Birds usually return to inspect breeding colonies, prior to nesting during November and December.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Fulmar is classed as Local: generally fairly regular or common species that a 'county lister' or a birding beginner might be interested in going to see. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

Bempton Cliffs, E Yorks 02/09/2010	Flamboro Hd, E Yorks 28/08/2010	Flamboro Hd, E Yorks 28/08/2010	Bridlington Skua Cruise, E Yorks 28/08/2010	The Minch, Highland 29/08/2010
The Minch, Highland 28/08/2010	Rumps Point, Cornwall 17/08/2010	Bempton Cliffs, E Yorks 25/06/2010	Bempton Cliffs, E Yorks 25/06/2010	Bempton Cliffs, E Yorks 27/06/2010

 View all pictures of Fulmar

Fulmar breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Britain
Denmark
Faroe Islands
France
Germany
Greenland
Iceland
Ireland
Norway
Russia
Svalbard

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http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob220.htm   BTO BirdFacts: Fulmar	Edit this link
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	Using Fulmars to measure North Sea plastics pollution	Thursday 15th July 2010
	To coincide with the Photo of the Week, we look at the issue of plastics pollution, both in the North Sea and beyond.   read on

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