Gannet Temporal range: Early Miocene to recent
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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
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Species | |
Synonyms | |
Moris |
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies, commonly named 'gugas' in Scotland.
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.