Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis incubating single egg during Summer nesting on the Shetland Isles. SCO 7462
The two Fulmars are closely related seabirds occupying the same niche in different oceans. The Northern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis, or just Fulmar lives in the north Atlantic and north Pacific, whereas the Southern Fulmar, F. glacialoides, is, as its name implies, a bird of the southern oceans. These birds look superficially like gulls, but are unrelated, and are in fact petrels. The northern species is grey and white with a yellow bill, 43–52 cm (17–20 in) in length with a 102–112 cm (40–44 in) wingspan.[4] The southern form is a paler bird with dark wing tips, 45–50 cm (18–20 in) long, with a 115–120 cm (45–47 in) wingspan. As members of Procellaridae and then the order Procellariiformes, they share certain traits. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called naricorns. Although the nostrils on the Albatross are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between 7 and 9 horny plates. Finally, they produce a stomach oil made up of wax esters and triglycerides that is stored in the proventriculus. This is used against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights. It will matt the plumage of avian predators, and can lead to their death. They also have a salt gland that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nose. British Population Size: Summer: 499 thousand pairs in 1998-02.
Size: 5845px × 3888px
Location: Sumburgh Head, Shetland Isles, Scotland. United Kingdom.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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