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Fulmars
are masters of flight, built for precision manoeuvres with long, narrow
wings that catch any updraft off the waves. For all their
poetry in flight, the
Fulmars acquired their unusual name for a much less
appealing trait.
Fulmar comes from the Norse
meaning “foul gull” and refers to
their defensive habit of spitting acrid-smelling oil at potential predators.
This defence is most useful
during the one time of year they are on land, the nesting season. One reference
says the Fulmar’s stomach oil can be potentially fatal to another bird because
the oil destroys the water repellence of the aggressor’s feathers, making it
susceptible to wetting to the
skin and dying from the cold.
Like many of the northern seabirds, Fulmars nest
on rocky seaside cliffs. Their
single egg takes
almost two months to hatch. Young fledge in six
to eight weeks.
Young birds live
at sea for several
years before returning to land to nest for the first time.
Fulmars have been
an important resource for
Arctic people
— feathers used for
bedding, stomach oil for lamps and medicine, and eggs and meat for food.
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