Sula bassana(Linnaeus, 1758)Pelecanus bassanusLinnaeus, 1758Sula americana Bonaparte, 1838
The northern gannet (Morus bassanus) is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family, Sulidae. It is native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, breeding in Western Europe and Northeastern North America. It is the largest seabird in the northern Atlantic.[2][3] The sexes are similar in appearance. The adult northern gannet has a mainly white streamlined body with a long neck, and long and slender wings. It is 87–100 cm (34+1⁄2–39+1⁄2 in) long with a 170–180 cm (67–71 in) wingspan. The head and nape have a buff tinge that is more prominent in breeding season, and the wings are edged with dark brown-black feathers. The long, pointed bill is blue-grey, contrasting with black, bare skin around the mouth and eyes. Juveniles are mostly grey-brown, becoming increasingly white in the five years it takes them to reach maturity.
Nesting takes place in colonies on both sides of the North Atlantic, the largest of which are at Bass Rock (75,000 pairs as of 2014), St. Kilda (60,000 pairs as of 2013) and Ailsa Craig (33,000 pairs as of 2014) in Scotland, Grassholm in Wales, and Bonaventure Island (60,000 pairs in 2009) off the coast of Quebec. Its breeding range has extended northward and eastward, with colonies being established on Russia's Kola Peninsula in 1995 and Bear Island (the southernmost island of Svalbard), in 2011. Colonies are mostly located on offshore islands with cliffs, from which the birds can more easily launch into the air. The northern gannet undertakes seasonal migrations and catches fish (which are the mainstay of its diet) by making high-speed dives into the sea.
The northern gannet was previously hunted for food in certain parts of its range, and although that practice still continues in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and the Faroe Islands, the bird faces few other natural or man-made threats. Since its population is growing, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers it a least-concern species. Because it is both a conspicuous and a common bird, it is referred to in several ancient myths and legends.
^BirdLife International (2018). "Morus bassanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22696657A132587285. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22696657A132587285.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^Wanless, Sarah; Harris, Mike P. (20 May 2021). Seabird Populations of Britain and Ireland. Retrieved 23 September 2022 – via Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
^"Northern Gannet". American Bird Conservancy. 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
The northerngannet (Morus bassanus) is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family, Sulidae. It is native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean...
white birds with yellowish heads, black-tipped wings and long bills. Northerngannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, having a wingspan of...
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The Fairey Gannet is a carrier-borne aircraft that was designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed...
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Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved January 7, 2013. Mowbray, Thomas B. "NorthernGannet — Behavior". Birds of North America Online. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology...
common bird found on the island is the northerngannet. The island is home to one of the largest colonies of gannets in the world, with 51,700 pairs in 2011...
semipalmata) is the only living species in the family Anseranatidae. The northerngannet (Morus bassanus), a seabird, is also known as the "solan goose", although...
cliffs are home to large numbers of birds, including one of the largest northerngannet colonies in the world, with around 16,000 pairs. This colony can now...
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vessels. They will often obtain fish by robbing gulls, terns and even northerngannets of their catches. They will also directly attack and kill other seabirds...
genus Sula, part of the family Sulidae. Boobies are closely related to the gannets (Morus), which were formerly included in Sula. The genus Sula was introduced...
107 m (351 ft) at its highest point, and is home to a large colony of gannets. The rock is uninhabited, but historically has been settled by an early...
the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish. Brown booby, Sula leucogaster (A) Northerngannet, Morus...
the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish. Brown booby, Sula leucogaster (A) Northerngannet, Morus...
Eucestoda found in the northerngannet, Morus bassani. It absorbs toxic heavy metals at a higher concentration than the gannet's own tissues, with an average...
zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The word Sula is Norwegian for a gannet; the specific leucogaster is from Ancient Greek leuko for "white" and gastēr...
(Sula dactylatra), also called the masked gannet or the blue-faced booby, is a large seabird of the booby and gannet family, Sulidae. First described by the...
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