Northern Gannet

Northern Gannets, breeding plumage

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Northern Gannet landing

Northern Gannet adults with chick

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

Breeding in only a few large colonies along the North Atlantic, the Northern Gannet spends most of its life at sea. Flocks engage in spectacular bouts of plunge-diving for fish, with hundreds of birds diving into the ocean from heights of up to 40 meters (130 feet).

Description

• Large waterbird.
• White with black wingtips.
• Long pointed bill.
• Long pointed tail.
• Long pointed wings.
• Immatures range from all dark to mostly white.

• Size: 81-110 cm (32-43 in)
• Wingspan: 175-179 cm (69-70 in)
• Weight: 2200-3600 g (77.66-127.08 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Calls loud, harsh, and grating. Soft "krok" given at sea similar to call of Common Raven.

Conservation Status

Populations increasing.

Other Names

Fou de Bassan (French)
Bobo norteño (Spanish)
Gannet (English)

Cool Facts

• Most plunge-dives are relatively shallow, but the Northern Gannet can dive as deep as 22 meters (72 feet). It uses its wings and feet to swim deeper in pursuit of fish.
• In North America, the Northern Gannet breeds in only six well established colonies: three in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Québec, and three in the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland. In the eastern North Atlantic, it is distributed in 32 colonies from the coast of Brittany in France northward to Norway.

Sources used to construct this page:

Mowbray, T. B. 2002. Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 693 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.In The Birds of North America