Today’s Bird: Gannet / Havssula
Latin name ( Text from RSPB) Photo: Ann Novek from Nordic Biology Museeum
Morus bassanus
Family
Boobies and gannets (Sulidae)
Overview
Adults are large and bright white with black wingtips. They are distinctively shaped with a long neck and long pointed beak, long pointed tail, and long pointed wings. At sea they flap and then glide low over the water, often travelling in small groups. They feed by flying high and circling before plunging into the sea. It breeds in significant numbers at only a few localities and so is an Amber List species.
Where to see them
Biggest mainland breeding colony at RSPB’s Bempton Cliffs. Two mainland colonies – at Bempton and Troup Head, Scotland. Big island colonies on St Kilda, the Northern Isles and Bass Rock in Scotland and Grassholm in Wales. Can be seen offshore almost anywhere, especially when they migrate south between August and October.
When to see them
They arrive at their colonies from January onwards and leave between August and October. Non-breeding birds can be seen at any time around the coasts and the main migration period offshore is during the autumn.
What they eat
Fish
Estimated numbers
| Europe | UK breeding* | UK wintering* | UK passage* |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | 218,546 nests | - | - |
* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
