Gannet in flight, Farne Islands, Sea Houses
Gannets are Britain’s largest seabird and they have a distinctive appearance: adults are bright white with black wingtips and a yellow marking on their heads, a long neck, pointed beak and long pointed tail.
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, at speeds of up to 60mph/ 96kmph.
Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads; black-tipped wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up to 2 metres (6.6 ft). The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia and New Zealand.
Gannets hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. Gannets have a number of adaptations which enable them to do this:
no external nostrils, they are located inside the mouth instead - air sacs in the face and chest under the skin which act like bubble wrapping, cushioning the impact with the water;
positioning of the eyes far enough forward on the face for binocular vision, allowing them to judge distances accurately.
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Gannet in flight, Farne Islands, Sea Houses
Gannets are Britain’s largest seabird and they have a distinctive appearance: adults are bright white with black wingtips and a yellow marking on their heads, a long neck, pointed beak and long pointed tail.
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, at speeds of up to 60mph/ 96kmph.
Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads; black-tipped wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up to 2 metres (6.6 ft). The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia and New Zealand.
Gannets hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater. Gannets have a number of adaptations which enable them to do this:
no external nostrils, they are located inside the mouth instead - air sacs in the face and chest under the skin which act like bubble wrapping, cushioning the impact with the water;
positioning of the eyes far enough forward on the face for binocular vision, allowing them to judge distances accurately.
Website
Like me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Email me: tomscottphotography@hotmail.com
All rights reserved, permission must be granted for any use (including website posting)