Northern Fulmar
Northern FulmarNorthern FulmarNorthern FulmarNorthern Fulmar

Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
5–10% · With luck
overall probability at Channel Islands National Park
376 Verified records at Channel Islands National Park
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The northern fulmar, Arctic fulmar, or simply fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) is an abundant seabird found primarily in subarctic regions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. There has been one confirmed sighting in the Southern Hemisphere, with a single bird seen south of New Zealand. Fulmars come in one of two colour morphs; a light one in temperate populations, with white head and body and grey wings and tail, and a dark one in arctic populations, which is uniformly grey; intermediate birds are common. Though similar in appearance to gulls, fulmars are in fact members of the family Procellariidae, which includes petrels and shearwaters. The northern fulmar and its sister species, the southern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides), are the only extant members of the genus Fulmarus. The fulmars are in turn a member of the order Procellariiformes, and they all share certain identifying features. Wikipedia →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Fulmar sighting in Channel Islands National Park, based on 376 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Channel Islands National Park

Sooty Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Puffinus griseus

10–20% · With luck
Black-vented Shearwater
NT

Black-vented Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Puffinus opisthomelas

10–20% · With luck
Pink-footed Shearwater

Pink-footed Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Puffinus creatopus

5–10% · With luck
Scopoli's Shearwater
LC

Scopoli's Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calonectris diomedea

Insufficient data
Cook's Petrel
VU Endemic

Cook's Petrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pterodroma cookii

<5% · Rare
Flesh-footed Shearwater

Flesh-footed Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Puffinus carneipes

<5% · Rare
Streaked Shearwater
NT

Streaked Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Calonectris leucomelas

<5% · Rare
Manx Shearwater
LC

Manx Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Puffinus puffinus

<5% · Rare
Short-tailed Shearwater

Short-tailed Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Puffinus tenuirostris

<5% · Rare
Buller's Shearwater

Buller's Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Puffinus bulleri

<5% · Rare
Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Puffinus pacificus

Insufficient data
Black Storm-Petrel
LC

Black Storm-Petrel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydrobates melania

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
5–10
Mar
<5
Apr
5–10
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
10–20
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
10–20
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
40–50%
2 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
3 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
4 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
7 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
8 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
11 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
12 Thingvellir National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
Insufficient data
13 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data
14 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
15 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Northern Fulmar in Channel Islands National Park?

About 5% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Fulmar sighting in Channel Islands National Park, based on 376 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Northern Fulmar in Channel Islands National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Northern Fulmar in Channel Islands National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Channel Islands National Park