Gannet

Gannet

Sula bassana

In Europe, gannets breed on the coasts of Ireland, England, Scotland, Brittany, Norway, Ice Land, Faroes and other small island in the area. This is a truly pelagic species which spend most of its life on the open sea, although young birds occasionally stray inland. The birds arrive at their breeding grounds between February and early April,

forming enormous breeding colonies (one, in the Outer Hebrides, is 70,000 strong), generally on rocky island, on an open, elevated spot. The nest is made of seaweed, Grass and pieces of wood and there may be as many as two or three to a square meter. The female lays a single, thick-shelled egg, which both partners incubate in turns for 39 to 46 days. Sometimes the chick takes more than a day to peck its way out, and up to another three days before opening its eyes. Covered With a thin coat of down and having a fantastic appetite, it is fed by the adult birds day and night, taking food by thrusting its head right into gannet’s throat. By 11 weeks the chick weighs a kilogram more than an adult. It abandons the nest at 75 days, as yet incapable of flight, but able to swim. Sometimes it travels as far as 70 kilometers from the colony before taking to the air, usually between 95 and 107 days. Having abandoned the colony, a young gannet must fend for itself, which it does by catching herring, mackerel and sardines. An excellent diver, it hunts by day and night.

(Migratory bird)

Size of egg	62.0-87.5X41.0-54.0 mm
Length	91.5 cm. Male and female have similar plumage.
Voice	Usually a barking sound ‘arrah’ and similar noises.