Juvenile Northerrn Gannet (Morus bassanus) with something stuck on its beak.

            An adult northern gannet has a 170–180 cm (67–71 in) wingspan, and is 87–100 cm (34+1⁄2–39+1⁄2 in) long and weighs 2.3–3.6 kg (5–8 lb), making it the largest gannet and the largest seabird native to the western Palearctic. 

The two sexes are generally of a similar size and appearance.

The plumage is white with dark brown to black wing tips; the primary flight feathers, primary coverts and alulae are dark. The head and neck are tinged buff-yellow, becoming much more prominent in the breeding season.

 Males are more deeply coloured than females. The eyes are surrounded by black bare skin and have a cobalt blue orbital ring, the iris is light blue-grey with a fine dark outer ring. The beak is long, strong and conical with a slight downcurve at the end and a sharp cutting edge. In adults, the beak is blue-grey with dark grey or black edges. 

There is a black groove running the length of the mandible that merges into the skin around the eyes. A black band of bare skin also separates the pale feathers of the forehead and throat from the bill, which gives the gannet its distinctive face markings. 

The four-toed feet are joined by a membrane that can vary in colour from dark grey to dark brown. There are coloured lines running along the toes that continue along up the legs. These are typically greenish-yellow in males and bluish in females and probably have a role in mating.

Fledglings are dark grey to slate-grey with upperparts and wings finely speckled with white. There is a prominent V-shaped white area under the rump. The wing tips and tail are dark brown-black, partly tipped with white. 

The bill and iris are dark brown. They can weigh more than 4 kg (9 lb) by the time they leave the nest at about 10 weeks of age. In the second year, the bird's appearance changes depending on the different phases of moulting: they can have adult plumage at the front and continue to be brown at the rear. Gannets gradually acquire more white in subsequent seasons until they reach maturity after five years.

This image was taken from the Sky Princess as it entered the English Channel on its voyage from USA and Canada

Taken in: UK / England / St. Levan / Saint Levan (show map)

Taken on: October 16, 2023

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Northern Gannet

English Channel

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Camera: Canon EOS R5, f/8.0, 1/3200 sec, 500mm, ISO 6400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS R5
Lens:	RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	1/3200 sec
Focal Length:	500mm
ISO:	6400
Exposure Bias:	-1/3 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Shutter speed priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 13.0.1 (Windows)
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