Northern Fulmar

Inuktitut name - Qaqulluk

Colour - light birds have grey back and white head, tail, and belly, plus pale grey wings with black tips; dark birds are dark grey with dark wing tips; bill yellow (light phase) or brown (dark phase)

Length - 40 to 55 cm

Shape - gull-like except for bill, which is stubby, thick at base, and slightly hooked; nostrils tube-shaped

Behaviour - stiff wings in flight; often glides and banks from side to side; often follows boats to scavenge edible scraps; feed on small fish and zooplankton

Distribution - breeds in dense colonies on east Baffin Island, Lancaster Sound, near southern Ellesmere Island; present in Lancaster Sound, Baffin Bay, and eastern Hudson Strait in summer; migrates to Greenland, Labrador, and Newfoundland in winter; arrive in the Arctic in spring and remain for about four months (well into the fall)

Sensitivity - colonies are very sensitive to disturbance, when the approach of ships or aircraft can cause birds to become agitated; adults may leave their nests quickly, knocking eggs or chicks off the cliff ledges, with the result that many will die and the population will suffer a decline; for more information see Sensitivity Information on the Birds - General Information page

Northern Fulmar (37 KB)

Lancaster Sound Area Distribution Maps: Fall Scenario Spring (Ice Scenario 1) Spring (Ice Scenario 2) Spring (Ice Scenario 3) Summer Scenario

Coronation Gulf Area Distribution Maps: See the Birds - General Information page.