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Northern Gannet
(Morus bassanus)
: "North Atlantic Gannet"
 German name(s): "Basstölpel"
Size: 85-97 cm; wing span: 1.7-1.9 m
Weight: 2.3-3.6 kg
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Northern Gannets are the largest gannets.
The two sexes are identical. Both sexes have different
plumages during
the breeding season and in
eclipse.
In breeding
plumage, they have
a bright yellow-buff helmet, which will fade to pale-yellow in
eclipse;
otherwise the plumage
remains the same all year round. Except large black triangles at
the ends of the upperwings, they are all-white. This gives them
the appearance from afar of a white cross with two black ends to
the crossbar.
The pale-grey eyes are surrounded by dark-grey rings; the strong,
stragiht bill is grey with fine darker grey grooves. The legs and
the fully webbed feet are dark-grey to black.
Northern Gannets reach maturity in the fifth year, so there are
four types of
immature plumages.
Juveniles
are basically streaked and speckled in various shades of grey all
over. Second-year birds already have white underparts and partly
white underwings. In the third year only the upperwings remain
partly black, while everything is already similar to
adults.
In the fourth year only individual feathers at or near the trailing
edge of the wings remain black.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Northern
Gannet at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the
ebird.org
website.
The global distribution of the Northern Gannet is available
HERE
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Northern Gannets are a migratory species.
Their breeding sites are restricted to rocky, inaccessible
parts of coastlines or rocky islands in the northern part
of their range, from far-western Canada and New Foundland
in the West to the North Cape in Norway in the East.
Their migratory routes and their wintering range extend
only a few hundred kilometres from the coastlines of North
America, Europe and the islands in the North Atlantic,
ranging from eastern Mexico and the Caribbean in the West,
via New Foundland, southward of Greenland to Iceland, and
their European range to the coastline of West Africa in
the East (but NOT the open ocean more than typically 500
km from the coastlines).
In Europe, Northern Gannets are present from the Kola peninsula
in north-western Russia, all the way around the Scandinavian
Atlantic coastline, the North Sea and on via the Gulf of Biscaye
to the central Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Except for one site in Normandy, France, and the island of
Helgoland, Germany, all their breeding sites are along the
coastlines of Britain and Ireland, Scotland and its chains
of islands and along the western coastline of Norway, up
to the North Cape.
In winter most Northern Gannets move southward, from the
Scottish island chains in the North to the western half of
the Mediterranean Sea (in some cases also along the coastline
of the eastern Mediterranean).
During their migration they can be found on the high seas,
or in coastal waters, both in the northern Atlantic Ocean
and in the eastern North Sea, up to the narrows between
Denmark and Sweden (Skaggerag and Kattegat).
Northern Gannets breed on
rocky islands or isolated rocky coastlines in the North
of their range, while spending much of the rest of the
year above the open ocean or coastal waters.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Pires reports finding Northern
Gannets regularly at Sagres, Algarve, Portugal.
They are even more common, found all year round and in good
numbers, in the area around Lisbon, e.g. in the port of
Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal.
M. Eaton found a Northern Gannet at Land's End, Cornwall,
England, in September 2019.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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BREEDING |
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Lateral view from above onto the upperparts of a Northern Gannet
in breeding plumage
in flight; note the yellow-buff helmet
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabo Raso, Cascais, near Lisbon, Portugal, February 2019]
Lateral/ventral view of a Northern Gannet in breeding
plumage in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabo Raso, Cascais, near Lisbon, Portugal, February 2019]
Lateral view of three Northern Gannets in breeding
plumage in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, May 2019]
Near-dorsal view of a mob of Northern Gannets in breeding
plumage in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, May 2019]
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NON-BREEDING |
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Frontal view of a Northern Gannet in non-breeding
plumage in flight;
note the pale-yellow helmet
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
Group of 4 Northern Gannets; the full image also shows a distant
lateral view of two
Great Skuas in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, March 2019]
Distant comparison of a Northern Gannet in flight with
Great Skuas
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Port of Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, March 2019]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Near-lateral view of a third-year immature Northern Gannet;
note the remaining black feathers on the inner upperwing
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
Near-lateral/ventral view of a second calendar year Northern
Gannet in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]
Lateral view of a juvenile Northern Gannet in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]
Dorsal view of a juvenile Northern Gannet in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Off Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
