Australasian Gannet
Morus serrator
The Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator) is a uncommon boobies and gannet found in 3 countries, weighing about 2.4 kg. The Australasian gannet, also known as the Australian gannet or tākapu, is a large seabird of the booby and gannet family, Sulidae.
About the Australasian Gannet
The Australasian gannet, also known as the Australian gannet or tākapu, is a large seabird of the booby and gannet family, Sulidae. Adults are mostly white, with black flight feathers at the wingtips and lining the trailing edge of the wing. The central tail feathers are also black. The head is tinged buff-yellow, with a pearly grey bill edged in dark grey or black, and blue-rimmed eyes. Young birds have mottled plumage in their first year, dark above and light below. The head is an intermediate mottled grey, with a dark bill. The birds gradually acquire more white in subsequent seasons until they reach maturity after five years.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
An adult Australasian gannet is 84–91 cm (33–36 in) long, weighs 2.3 kg (5.1 lb), and has a 170–200 cm (67–79 in) wingspan. The two sexes are generally of a similar size and appearance, though a 2015 field study at Pope's Eye and Point Danger colonies found females to be 3.1% and 7.3% heavier respectively. Females also had a slightly larger ulna and smaller bill. The plumage is white with black flight feathers on the wings, and central rectrices of the tail. Some individuals have more extensive black plumage of their tail feathers. There is a sharp demarcation between light and dark plumage. Voice: The Australasian gannet is generally silent at sea and loud and vocal at the colony in the day and at times overnight during the breeding season. Its typical call is a harsh arrah-arrah or urrah-urrah, which is emitted upon approaching or arriving at the colony or as a threat. The calls can vary between individuals, and the female's call is lower pitched than the male's.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Australasian Gannet can be seen all year round, with peak activity in July. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Australasian Gannet?
- An adult Australasian gannet is 84–91 cm (33–36 in) long, weighs 2.3 kg (5.1 lb), and has a 170–200 cm (67–79 in) wingspan. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Australasian Gannet?
- The Australasian Gannet is a huge sized bird weighing about 2.4 kg.
- Where can you see an Australasian Gannet?
- The Australasian Gannet occurs in 3 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
- What birds look similar to an Australasian Gannet?
- The Australasian Gannet is most easily confused with the Cape Gannet and the Northern Gannet.
- Is the Australasian Gannet endangered?
- The Australasian Gannet is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Australasian Gannet for real
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