Scientific name: Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus, 1761)
Bird group: Shearwaters and Petrels
Field characters. Length 45-50 cm; wingspan 102-112 cm. Slightly larger than Common Gull. Superficially like a gull but more robust and with thick neck and rigid, rather narrow wings without black tips. Short and thick bill is yellow; legs bluish. Flight of the regular petrel type with long glides on stiffly extended wings interrupted by intervals of leisurely flapping. Head, neck and upperparts slightly yellowish-white; back wings, and tail grey; wings with whitish patch at base of primaries. Dark, northern phase entirely smoky grey with darker wings tips.
Voice. Generally silent, but on breeding ground 'cackling' sounds and also a succession of guttural notes.
Distribution. Locally abundant.
Habitat. Nests in large colonies on cliffs on the coast, usually on turf or on bare soil. Pelagic outside the breeding season.
Food. Chiefly crustaceans, fish, cephalopods, fish-offal, and carrion. Prey is usually picked up from water surface whilst floating or swimming.
Eggs. Unmarked or with very fine black dots (in pores). Ground colour white/light yellow translucent. During incubation dirt accumulates in the pores. Shape pyriform. Size 74 x 51 mm (68-82 x 43-54), weight 101 g (65-122).