Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) swimming by iceberg in the Svalbard seas, Arctic, Norway
The Northern Fulmar or Fulmar, or Arctic Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) lives in the north Atlantic and north Pacific. Fulmars resemble gulls, but they are unrelated, and are in fact petrels. Like other petrels, their walking ability is limited, but they are strong fliers, with a stiff wing action quite unlike gulls. They have short stubby bills with a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps them to excrete salt. Like other members of the petrel family, they are long-lived, and outside the breeding season they are truly pelagic, living far out at sea. They lay their single egg in rocks usually overlooking the sea and the time required for incubation and raising the young is very long. If approached they may feel threatened and cough up oils from their stomach at intruders. The species is grey and white, however there are both light and dark morphs. This bird was photographed in Svalbard (Norway) and is a blue-morph bird, as are most of the Fulmars in this area.
Size: 5061px × 3363px
Location: Svalbard, Norway
Photo credit: © Paul Harris / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: arctic, fulmar, fulmarus, glacialis, petrel, spitsbergen, spitzbergen, svalbard
