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  • Australasian Gannets are expert fishers. Birds soar 10 m or more above the surface of the water, herding fish into dense shoals, then fold their wings back and dive into the water to catch their prey. The fish are grasped with the aid of small backward-pointing serrations along the edges of the bill. A bird only stays under the water for about ten seconds, but the fish is normally swallowed before the bird reaches the surface.  Here, an Australian Gannet soars above the ocean at Muriwai, New Zealand.
    Australasian Gannet 32_H7C9187.jpg
  • A spectacular bird's eye view of a gannet colony on the clifftops between Maori Bay and Muriwai Beach.  This Takapu (gannet) Refuge at Otakamiro Point is one of only three mainland gannet colonies in New Zealand.
    Australasian Gannet 27_7475.jpg
  • Over 1200 pairs of Australasian Gannets nest at Muriwai each summer, typically between August and March.  A single blue egg is laid with an incubation time of approximately 44 days.  The parents take turns in incubating the egg, similar to that of penguins.  At 15 weeks the chicks take off on their maiden flight of 2000 kilometers to Australia and they don't return for 2 to 6 years.
    Breeding Colony of the Australasian ...jpg
  • Australasian Gannet, Muriwai, New Zealand
    _MG_9370.jpg
  • Australasian Gannet, Muriwai, New Zealand
    Australasian Gannet 25_7614.jpg
  • Australasian Gannet, Muriwai, New Zealand
    Australasian Gannet 23_9520.jpg
  • Australasian Gannet, Muriwai, New Zealand
    Australasian Gannet 24_9402.jpg
  • Breeding colonies are found off the coast of south-east Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. One small colony is also found further north at Norfolk Island (to Australia).  In New Zealand, three mainland colonies have been established at Cape Kidnappers, Farewell Spit, and Muriwai.
    Breeding colony of an Australasian G...jpg
  • An Australasian Gannet soars majestically above the ocean with the painterly lines of an eroding cliff in the backdrop at Muriwai, New Zealand.  The gannet generally feeds over continental shelves or inshore waters, seldom far from land. Its diet is comprised mainly of pelagic fish, especially pilchard, anchovies and jack mackerel, but also squid and garfish. Prey is caught mainly by plunge-diving, but it is also seen regularly attending trawlers.
    Australasian Gannet 26_7505.jpg
  • Breeding is highly seasonal (Oct - May), with nesting on the ground in small but dense colonies. Adults tend to stay within the vicinity of the colony after breeding.  The Australasian Gannet has established three mainland colonies in New Zealand, at Muriwai, Farewell Spit, and Cape Kidnappers.
    Breeding Colony of the Australasian ...jpg
  • Australasian Gannet, Muriwai, New Zealand
    Australasian Gannet 31_H7C9227.jpg
  • A pair of beautiful Australasian gannets soar along the cliffs at Muriwai, New Zealand.
    Australasian Gannet pair in flight 3...jpg
  • Australasian Gannet, Muriwai, New Zealand
    Australasian Gannet 33_9389.jpg
  • The greenish-yellow lines on the Australiasian gannet's black webbed feet are quite striking up close!  The male and female Australasian Gannet are similar in plumage. Most of the body is white, with dark tips on the major wing feathers and the inner tail feathers. The head is buff-yellow and the bill pale blue-grey with striking black borders to the bill sheaths. In immature birds, the head and upperparts are mostly brown with scattered amounts of white spotting.
    Australasian Gannet 21_9630.jpg
  • The gannet (Morus serratus) is a magnificent large seabird, with long narrow wings, a long neck, and instantly recognisable plumage. Adults are white with black tips to the wings and a yellowish head, which fades somewhat in winter. There is a ring of bluish skin around the eyes, which explains the alternative name of 'spectacled goose'
    Australasian Gannet 30_H7C9208.jpg
  • Gannets are closely related to the boobies and occur in southern Africa, southern Australia and New Zealand. The Northern gannet is the largest sea bird of the Atlantic with a wingspan of up to 2m. The Australasian gannet shown in this image, occurs in Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand.
    Australasian Gannet 34_9373.jpg
  • 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: 1) they have no external nostrils, they are located inside the mouth instead; 2) they have air sacs in their face and chest under their skin which act like bubble wrapping, cushioning the impact with the water; and 3) their eyes are positioned far enough forward on their face to give them binocular vision, allowing them to judge distances accurately.
    Australasian Gannet 28_7463.jpg
  • How did the gannet get it’s name?<br />
The gannet's supposed capacity for eating large quantities of fish has led to "gannet" becoming a disapproving description of somebody who eats excessively, similar to "glutton".<br />
In this picture is an Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator).  The Maori name for the gannet is “takapu”.
    Australasian Gannet 20_H7C9183.jpg
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