Photo by Peter GrantDescription
The Australasian Gannet is a large seabird to 95 cm in length and with a wingspan of 1.6 m. The body is largely 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.
Habitat
Australasian Gannets are seabirds. They are a familiar sight off the coast.
Diet
Australasian
Gannets are accomplished fishers. Birds fold their wings
back and plunge like arrows into the water to catch fish or squid. The prey 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.
Breeding
The Australasian Gannet breeds in dense colonies on islands
off Tasmania and also Victoria. The young do not
reach breeding maturity until about six or seven years old.
Distribution
Australasian Gannets occur throughout southern and south-eastern Australia, and New Zealand. In Tasmania they are often seen from boats, including the Bass Strait ferry and ferries running to Bruny and Maria Islands.