A permanent resident of the Bering Sea and an abundant breeder on the Pribilofs, this species is one of the more obvious bird species throughout most of the non-winter months. Breeding birds begin to arrive around the islands during the second half of April with breeding residents peaking locally during late May. Nesting may begin as early as the first week of June with chicks usually not present until mid-late July, and a few birds are still present on the cliffs into September. This species is also an abundant pelagic species in near shore waters and is often seen in large numbers at sea as early as mid-June with large numbers seen during ideal conditions into August and September. Numbers become more reminiscent of early spring by the late fall with smaller local numbers still present. During the winter, sightings of this species are closely tied to the pack ice with regular sightings during times of open water.
Many color variations of Northern Fulmar breed in the Pribilofs with light-morphs predominating. Small numbers of “intermediate” birds also nest, while dark-morph birds make up less than one percent of the breeding population. The colonies to the south of the Pribilofs are dominated by dark-morph birds, which account for a vast majority of the sightings of these birds at sea near the Pribilofs.
