Morus bassanus

• The northern gannet can dive to a depth of up to 12–15 m. However, it usually dives shallowly.
• Male northern gannets are more aggressive when defending their nest and can seriously injure an opponent in a fight. A confrontation begins with a threatening posture, in which the male lowers its beak and half-spreads its wings.
• The northern gannet cannot take off in calm weather and rough sea conditions. In these conditions, it rests for a long time on water, as it is unable to rise into the air.
• The northern gannet lives up to 25 years in the wild. In the first year of life, mortality can reach 65% under unfavorable conditions.
• The northern gannet is the northernmost species in the gull family and the only one found in Europe. It forms colonies of several thousand pairs.
• Young northern gannets migrate a distance of 3000–5000 km, reaching the coasts and islands of Northwest Africa. This route is especially long in the eastern Atlantic.
• A northern gannet chick weighs more than its parents at 11–12 weeks old, but still cannot fly or catch food. During this time, it is left without food and jumps from a cliff, glides several hundred meters, and swims away from the shore.
• A northern gannet chick is born blind and covered only with black skin. The first white down appears only after 11 days. During this time, it is carefully warmed by one of the parents’ feet.
• The northern gannet dives into water from a height of 10–30 m to catch fish, plunging headfirst several meters underwater. During the fall, it manages to maneuver to follow the moving prey.
• The feathers of the northern gannet have a water-repellent structure. Like those of most seabirds, they allow the bird to stay underwater for a long time.