Birds and wildlife

Gannet

Morus bassanusGroup: Boobies and gannetsUK Conservation status:Amber

How to identify

Adult Gannets are large and bright white with black wingtips. They are distinctively shaped, with a long neck and long pointed beak, long pointed tail, and long pointed wings. 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. They breed in significant numbers in only a few locations and are an Amber List species.

Call

Gannet

Matthias Feuersenger / xeno-canto

A lone juvenile Gannet looking out over the sea.
Juvenile Gannet
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Bird of the Year!

Yes, you better believe it, Bird of the Year (BoTY) is back for 2026!

Diving beak-first into BoTY, the Gannet is here to take a dive at the crown. Voting opens on 30 October, in the meantime, click the button below to find out more about our talented contenders!

Key

  1. Resident
  2. Passage
  3. Summer
  4. Winter
* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
UK distribution map for Gannet
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Where best to see them

Key facts