northern fulmar fulmarus glacialis flying over the cliffs hoy orkney archipelago scotland

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Northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis flying over the cliffs of Hoy, Orkney archipelago, Scotland Royalty Free Stock Photo

Northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis flying over the cliffs of Hoy, Orkney archipelago, Scotland

Fulmars are tubenosed seabirds of the family Procellariidae. The family consists of two extant species and two extinct fossils from the Miocene. 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, with white head and body and gray wings and tail, and a dark one which is uniformly gray. Though similar in appearance to gulls, fulmars are in fact members of the family Procellariidae, which include petrels and shearwaters. They breed on cliffs, laying one or rarely two eggs on a ledge of bare rock or on a grassy cliff. Outside the breeding season, they are pelagic, feeding on fish, squid and shrimp in the open ocean. They are long-lived for birds, living for up to 40 years.