Adult gannets are the largest indigenous seabird in the northern hemisphere with a wingspan reaching up to 2m. Their snow white colouring and their long neck, long pointed beak, tail and black-tipped wings make them very distinctive.
At sea they often travel in small groups, flapping and then gliding low over the water. They feed by flying high and circling before plunging into the deep. Diving from 30m they can reach speeds of 100km/h.
St. Kilda hosts approximately 20% of the world's gannet population. The Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth is home to around 150,000 of the birds.
Breeding in significant numbers at only a few localities, gannets are placed in the amber zone of the UK list of conservation importance for bird species. However, young gannets - or guga in Gaelic - are considered a delicacy on the Isle of Lewis. Special dispensation allows for the killing of up to 2,000 birds a year in this centuries old tradition. The island of Sula Sgeir to the north of Lewis hosts a large population and is the traditional hunting ground for the young birds.
Where to see them
Scotland accounts for almost two thirds of the northern gannet population. The RSPB's Troup Head reserve near Fraserburgh hosts some 150,000 breeding seabirds including gannets, fulmars, kittiwakes and guillemots. The remote island of St Kilda, and the more accessible Northern Isles and Bass Rock are home to large colonies of these birds which can be also be seen offshore almost anywhere, especially when they migrate south in August and September.
When to see them
They arrive at their colonies from January onwards and leave in August and September. Non-breeding birds can be seen at any time around the coasts and the main migration period offshore is during the autumn.
Page first published on Monday 7th April 2008
Page last updated on Friday 17th October 2008
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