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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Procellariidae
  4. ›
  5. Fulmarus
  6. ›
  7. Southern Fulmar
Southern Fulmar
Photo · steve b

BirdUp · Species

Southern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialoides(Smith, A, 1840)

Updated 21 March 2026

Conservation status: Least ConcernOrigin: Native
Order
PROCELLARIIFORMES
Family
Procellariidae
Genus
Fulmarus

At a glance

The Southern Fulmar is a large bird, about 45–50 cm long, listed as Least Concern and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
45–50 cm
Conservation status
Least Concern
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Southern Fulmar look like?

The Southern Fulmar is a large bird, about 45–50 cm long and weighing 720–1030 g.

The southern fulmar is a seabird of the Southern Hemisphere. Along with the northern fulmar, F. glacialis, it belongs to the fulmar genus Fulmarus in the family Procellariidae, the true petrels. It is also known as the Antarctic fulmar or silver-grey fulmar.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
45–50 cm
Weight
720–1030 g
Wingspan
110 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Southern Fulmar?

The Southern Fulmar is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Southern Fulmar eat?

The Southern Fulmar feeds on carrion and fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks or alone.

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Southern Fulmar live in Australia?

The Southern Fulmar is native to Australia, recorded across 24 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingSO, AN : islets and coast of Antarctica

Non-breedingSouth oceans from pack-ice to Humboldt Current off Chile and Peru

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Non-breeding
  • Passage

7 regions recorded