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Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator) Alternate name(s): "Takupu", "Australian Gannet", "Diver*" Aboriginal name(s): "pakuRum" [tjapwurrung] Size: 85-90 cm; wing span 1.7-1.9 m Weight: 2.0-2.8 kg

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Australasian Gannets are big seabirds with a predominantly white plumage. The upper side of the back of the wing is black from the alula inwards to the tertiaries, on the underwing the entire trailing edge has a broad black edge. The cap is yellow, the whiteish eyes are surrounded by a small black eye patch. The outer tail feathers are also black, while the legs, feet and bill are light-grey. Juveniles have a mottled plumage in various hues of grey, with a white belly. In immature birds the mottled grey plumage gradually turns black-and-white. Twitcher's tip Seen from a distance, cruising Australasian Gannets, with their wings stretched out, look like black and white rectangular crosses.

Taxonomy, classification See Australasian Gannet at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Australasian Gannet is available HERE . The range of the Australasian Gannet extends from the Australian South and East coast to New Zealand. Australasian Gannets populate coastal waters around the southern half of the Australian continent, from about Exmouth, WA, around the South coast including the Great Bight, all around Tasmania and up the East coast as far as about Yeppoon, QLD. They are most common along the Bass Strait and the Tasmanian East coast and are not found inland. Australasian Gannets are found only in marine habitats, i.e. on the open oceans, never in fresh water. They are most easily spotted when hunting in shallow waters just off the coastline. They nest on offshore islands. Where to look? How to find this species? Australian Gannets can usually be found most easily by checking the sky just beyond the edge of coastal waters. They will be "patrolling" for fish in water close to shore, facing into the wind. Their diving technique is unique. If you see a bird diving into the sea around the Australian coastline from a height of about 50 m at break-neck speed, it is bound to be an Australian Gannet.

Sightings Click here for sighting information We first sighted Australian Gannets hunting off the NSW Central Coast, between Myall Lakes NP and Bouddi NP. In particular, they were observed off Wybung Head at Munmorah SCA, near Budgewoi, NSW. More sightings followed since then in various locations along the NSW coast. J. Greaves reports spotting an Australasian Gannet above Flinders Bay, Augusta, WA, in May 2015. M. Eaton reports finding an Australasian Gannet on the Gold Coast, QLD, in May 2018. R. Plumtree reports spotting an Australasian Gannet off the Queenscliff ferry, near Sorrento, VIC, in September 2019. D. Dyer encountered an Australasian Gannet 10 km off Cervantes, WA, in March 2021. M. Eaton reports finding an Australasian Gannet on a pelagic off Eaglehawk Neck, near Hobart, TAS, in September 2021. C. Pears found Australasian Gannets a few km off Adventure Bay, Bruny Island, TAS, in January 2023.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of an adult Australasian Gannet (photo courtesy of D. Dyer)
[10 km off Cervantes, WA, March 2021]

Near-frontal view of an Australasian Gannet in flight (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Bay, Augusta, WA, May 2015]

Near-lateral view of an adult Australasian Gannet in flight (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Flinders Bay, Augusta, WA, May 2015]

View from above onto an adult Australasian Gannet in flight; note the creamy colour of the head, providing a clear view of the upperwing pattern
[Munmorah SCA, NSW, June 2011]

The same Australasian Gannet as shown above, seen in a different phase of its wingbeat
[Munmorah SCA, NSW, June 2011]

Near-dorsal view of an Australasian Gannet in low flight (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Queenscliff ferry, near Sorrento, VIC, September 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a juvenile Australasian Gannet; note the streaked head and neck and spotted upperwings
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Coast, QLD, May 2018]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Australasian Gannet (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Gold Coast, QLD, May 2018]

View of the upperwing plumage of a juvenile Australasian Gannet
[Munmorah SCA, NSW, June 2009]

Crossing paths: juvenile Australasian Gannet (top) and Crested Tern in non-breeding plumage (bottom)
[Munmorah SCA, NSW, June 2009]

Behaviour

Australasian Gannets have an audacious hunting style, patrolling at about 10-20 m altitude before diving headlong at high speed into the water, often to great depth, to catch fish.

Australasian Gannet nose-diving into the sea; one can see clearly that the outer tail feathers are white, while the inner ones are black
[Munmorah SCA, NSW, June 2009]

Trail of bubbles where an Australasian Gannet is diving; this bird species can dive up to several metres deep
[Munmorah SCA, NSW, June 2009]

Food, Diet

Australasian Gannets feed on fish, which they catch by nose-diving from a height of tens of metres, grabbing fish with their bills up to several metres under the water's surface (see above). They are known to hunt in packs, especially when attacking shoals of fish.

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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Thu, 12 January 2023, 7:15 +00:00