General

Northern Gannet: Very large seabird. White above and below with black primaries and long pointed wings. Light yellow wash on crown of head extending down nape may be visible. Bill, legs, and feet are gray. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has speckled gray upperparts, faintly streaked gray underparts, and dark tail with white uppertail coverts.

Range and Habitat

Northern Gannet: Pelagic species found on the Atlantic coast. Often seen from shore, also may be found far from shore in open ocean. Breeds on coasts of north eastern Canada. Winters from Maine to Texas-Mexico border along Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Breeding and Nesting

Northern Gannet: Monogamous colonial nester often with long term pairing. Male and female build nest of grass and seaweed on coastal rocky cliff, ground or rocky island. Nest may be reused in subsequent years with material being added to repair it. Female lays one light blue egg that becomes nest stained. Both sexes incubate egg for 42 to 44 days and tend altricial nestlings until fledging at 84 to 97 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Northern Gannet: Pelagic species, feeds on fish, especially mackerel and herring, and squid. Steadily flaps and glides into the wind above water scanning for prey. Dives into water from heights averaging 30 to 50 feet, rarely up to 90 feet. Reinforced skull helps dampen diving impact on the head. Dives produce little or no splash.

Vocalization

Northern Gannet: Usually non-vocal. Feeding call a low barking "grrah, grrah, grrah" or "grrrrrou."

Similar Species

Northern Gannet: Adult significantly larger overall with longer neck and bill than Herring and other large Gulls. Brown booby adult has much more extensive black on wings and all black tail. Juvenile Gannet may be confused with Brown Booby which is smaller and much darker overall. Juveniles also confused with Masked Booby which have more white on the underside of the wings, and show little or no white on the tail.