Northern Gannet
Morus bassanus
The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) is a common boobies and gannet found in 47 countries, weighing about 3.0 kg. The Northern gannet is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family, Sulidae.
About the Northern Gannet
The Northern gannet is a seabird, the largest species of the gannet family, Sulidae. It is native to the coasts of the North Atlantic Ocean, breeding in Western Europe and Northeastern North America. It is the largest seabird in the northern Atlantic. 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 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…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
An adult northern gannet has a 170–180 cm (67–71 in) wingspan, and is 87–100 cm (34+1⁄2–39+1⁄2 in) long and weighs 2.3–3.6 kg (5–8 lb), making it the largest gannet and the largest seabird native to the western Palearctic. The two sexes are generally of a similar size and appearance. The plumage is white with dark brown to black wing tips; the primary flight feathers, primary coverts and alulae are dark. The head and neck are tinged buff-yellow, becoming much more prominent in the breeding season. Males are more deeply coloured than females. Voice: The northern gannet is a loud and vocal bird, particularly in the colony. Its typical call is a harsh arrah-arrah or urrah-urrah, which is emitted upon arriving or when challenging other gannets at the colony. The call is shortened to a rah rah when fishing or collecting nesting material, and lengthened to a ooo-ah when taking off. The calls of the sexes are similar.
What the Northern Gannet sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Mexico, Finland, Switzerland, Martinique, Slovenia.
When to see it
The Northern 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 a Northern Gannet?
- An adult northern gannet has a 170–180 cm (67–71 in) wingspan, and is 87–100 cm (34+1⁄2–39+1⁄2 in) long and weighs 2.3–3.6 kg (5–8 lb), making it the largest gannet and the largest seabird native to the western Palearctic. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Northern Gannet?
- The Northern Gannet is a huge sized bird weighing about 3.0 kg.
- Where can you see a Northern Gannet?
- The Northern Gannet occurs in 47 countries, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway and Portugal.
- What does a Northern Gannet sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Northern Gannet on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Northern Gannet?
- The Northern Gannet is most easily confused with the Cape Gannet and the Australasian Gannet.
- Is the Northern Gannet endangered?
- The Northern Gannet is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Northern Gannet for real
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