Species

Northern gannet

Morus bassanus

A big white seabird that plunges into the sea from great heights, seen off Georgia's beaches in winter.

Photo Andreas Trepte (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5 (opens in a new tab)

Predation

At a glance

Size: About 87 to 100 cm long; wingspan about 1.7 to 1.8 m
Weight: About 2.2 to 3.6 kg
Habitat: Nearshore and offshore ocean in winter
Diet: Fish such as menhaden, mackerel and herring
In Georgia: A common winter visitor offshore, often visible from beaches
Voice: Silent at sea
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Large; white with black wingtips; yellowish head in adults; pointed bill, tail and wings; young birds dark brown with white speckles
Told apart from: Brown pelican, which is brown-grey with a huge bill
Told apart from: Large gulls, which have broad, rounded wings
Where to look: Offshore from beaches, November to April, diving in groups

Behaviour

Gannets dive from as high as 30 m, folding their wings back just before hitting the water. Air sacs under their skin cushion the impact.

Why they matter

Gannets follow schools of fish along the coast in winter, and their plunging dives mark where fish are gathered. Many winter off the Southeast, and strandings on beaches often reflect storms, oil or fishing gear.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A mound of seaweed on cliffs, in dense colonies
Eggs — One
Incubation — About 42 to 44 days
Chick — Fed by both parents for about 90 days
Maturity — Adult plumage at about four to five years
Lifespan — Wild birds over thirty years are recorded

Living around people

A gannet on the beach is usually injured or ill; it needs a rehabilitator. Its sharp bill can injure a person's eyes, so it is best left to someone trained.

Misconceptions

A gannet on the sand just needs to be pushed back into the water. It usually needs care before it can return.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Offshore	Offshore	Offshore	Leaving	Nesting on northern cliffs	Nesting	Chicks	Chicks	Young leave colonies	Moving south	Arriving offshore	Offshore

Where it lives

Recorded in 22 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

Canada

If you found one

Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.

I found an animal