Listen to the northern gannet
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About the northern gannet
The northern gannet is a bird in the family Sulidae (order Suliformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 172 cm and weigh around 3.0 kg.
What does the northern gannet sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
From Wikipedia
The northern gannet (Morus bassanus) 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 (34+1⁄2–39+1⁄2 in) 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 are mostly grey-brown, becoming increasingly white in the five years it takes them to reach maturity.
Related birds in the genus Morus
Frequently asked questions
What does a northern gannet sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the northern gannet on this page. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the northern gannet endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the northern gannet as “least concern”.
What family does the northern gannet belong to?
The northern gannet (Morus bassanus) belongs to the family Sulidae in the order Suliformes.
Sources & credits
- Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) (W1CDR0001422 BD11) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q26675 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Northern gannet – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Andreas Trepte – CC BY-SA 2.5