Gannet - Morus bassanus
(Photo credit Kat Sanders)
What is it? A coastal bird with characteristic white feathers. Their wingtips are black and their heads are pale yellow. They spend the breeding season on cliffs and rocky islands and feed far out to sea. Young birds are brown, but gradually turn white over a 5 year period. Breeding colonies are very noisy, and Great Britain hosts around 68% of the worlds breeding population.
How big is it? Gannets are the UK's largest seabird, with a wingspan of 1.8m.
What does it eat? Gannets mainly feed on schooling fish such as herring and mackerel. They catch them via spectacular plunge dives.
Where do they live? Gannets are found in the North Atlantic, and most breeding colonies are found in the east – the UK, Ireland, Iceland and Norway. There are also some colonies in Quebec and Newfoundland. During the winter months, gannets disperse throughout their range, and often migrate southwards, as far as west Africa. In summer they gather at breeding colonies, which can be many thousands strong, usually on uninhabited islands or high cliffs.
How can I find them? There are several major Gannet colonies in the UK; Bass Rock in Scotland, Grassholm in Wales and Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire. The gannets start arrive from January and stay until October. They can be seen almost anywhere offshore throughout the year.
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