Colour and size variation in the Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis on Bear Island, Svalbard.

• Main Authors: Jan Andries Van Franeker, Robert Luttik
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arctic; Bear Island; Fulmar; Svalbard; Fulmarus glacialis; Northern Fulmar
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.501.9186; http://www.zeevogelgroep.nl/wreckupdate/FulmarWreck2009/8_FranekerLuttik2008_BearIsl-Fulmar_CirPolStu4.pdf

abstraCt The Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis shows a complicated pattern of morphological variability in body size and plumage colour. Based on a study of museum specimens and literature, Bear Island emerged as a priority location for a more detailed study. In 1980 it became possible to conduct a field study of population size, morphology and interbreeding of different morphs of Fulmars on Bear Island. At the time of the survey about 30.000 ‘Apparently Occupied Sites ’ of Fulmars were recorded, which translates to a population in the order of 50.000 to 60.000 breeding pairs. In plumage colour, Bear Island Fulmars clearly belong to the arctic type (F.g.glacialis), with about 90 % of birds being ‘coloured’. However, in measurements, these birds are indistinguishable from the populations in more temperate zones (F.g. auduboni). Different colour phases interbreed freely, without indications of assortative mating. The colour of chicks is mostly, but not always, within the range of parental colours. Deviations may be the result of non-