A Bird of Two Colors

Related to shearwaters and petrels, the Northern Fulmar will eat just about anything it finds on the surface of the ocean, from fish and squids to dead whales. While some have snow-white bodies and gray wings, others are dark gray all over. That’s because fulmars are polymorphic, which is to say they come in multiple colors or “morphs”. The difference is genetic and doesn’t depend on age, sex, or season. This color variation may offer behavioral or habitat-based advantages to fulmars and other polymorphic species like Snow Geese, screech-owls, or Red-tailed Hawks.

More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.

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