U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Meet the Northern Gannet The largest indigenous For many of the birds rehabilitated after being seabird in the North Atlantic, oiled, they have not yet the northern gannet spends developed the wing muscles of older birds. They may most of its life at sea. These well take a short flight and pelagic or sea birds are rest on the beach before taking off again. This does among the world’s most not indicate that the bird is renowned divers, with ill or needs help. flocks of up to 1,000 birds Pairs usually bond descending from heights of monogamously for life, and up to 130 feet into the ocean. both mates participate in all aspects of parental care During their first three years, – although their parental the birds remain at sea year- activities vary over the course of the nesting cycle. round. In the Gulf of Mexico, immature gannets “Gannets are noisy birds consume large quantities of nutritious, and the metallic clangor large, shoaling fish as they grow into of a great colony in uproar adulthood, when they migrate to habitat imparts some of the along the North Atlantic. excitement which grips the birds. I have sometimes Northern gannets are among the birds squatted in the very heart most impacted by the Deepwater of a dense nesting mass in Horizon/BP oil spill. They are the sunset of a fine July being rehabilitated at four wildlife evening, when the flood rehabilitation centers responding to of incoming birds stirred the spill. On July 12, the U.S. Fish and the group to a frenzy of Wildlife Service and its partners released calling as partners . . . 11 gannets on Sanibel Island, FL, in a Waves of harsh sound rose to a crescendo and died state park adjacent to J.N. Ding Darling Michelle Bellizzi, a wildlife rehabilitation specialist, cleans National Wildlife Refuge. away whilst white plumage an oiled gannet at the Theodore Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation glowed in the serried Center June 17, 2010. The center in Theodore is one of four Here are a few facts about these wildlife rehabilitation centers established in support of the BP ranks,” wrote J.B. Nelson, distinctive white birds with black-tipped Deepwater Horizon oil spill response. U.S. Coast Guard photo a noted researcher. wings: Petty Officer 3rd Class Colin White. Birds from the Deepwater n Juveniles begin to move south in Horizon/BP oil spill are n In North America, gannets breed in six well established colonies, three in the greater numbers than older birds banded with metal federal leg bands with Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec and three during their first winter. Fully grown a unique ID number. People who see the in the North Atlantic off the coast of juveniles are a dusky-brown replica of birds are asked to report sightings to the Newfoundland. their parents. National Bird Banding Lab online: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/default.htm n Like other seabirds, the northern n The bird lives largely within the waters or call 1-800-327-BAND (2263). of the continental shelf from New gannet takes several years to attain Reporting the band number and the England south along the Atlantic Coast adult plumage, going through various bird’s location will help biologists to Florida, and west along the Gulf stages of mottled dark-and-white understand the movements and survival Coast to Texas and Northeast Mexico. plumages before becoming pure white of the birds after their release. Large concentrations of adult birds are with black wing-tips at four to five often seen off the New England coast. years of age. n Once a northern gannet fledges from n The female lays a single egg, which is incubated under the webs of the feet. its nesting colony and is in the water, it Hatchlings have essentially no motor is apparently unable to take off again coordination, but they develop rapidly for as long as two weeks. The bird is during the 13-week nesting period. likely to begin its southward migration to the Gulf of Mexico by swimming, not flying.