Gannet
Genus of diving seabirds / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Gannet (disambiguation).
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Type species ...
Gannet | |
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Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) on Heligoland | |
Northern gannet calls recorded on Grassholm Island, Wales | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Suliformes |
Family: | Sulidae |
Genus: | Morus Vieillot, 1816 |
Type species | |
Pelecanus bassanus Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Species | |
Synonyms | |
Moris |
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Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads, black-tipped wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, having a wingspan of up to two metres (6+1⁄2 feet). The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia, and New Zealand.