Gannet
| Irish Name: | Gainead |
| Scientific name: | Morus bassana |
| Bird Family: | Gannet |
amber
Conservation status
Conservation status
Status
Resident along all Irish coasts.
Identification
A large seabird with long, narrow wings. Plunge dives into the sea from up to 40 metres, folding wings back on descent to hit the water in a streamlined shape. Long neck, head and bill. Large projecting wedge shaped tail. Large dark webbed feet. In adult plumage is white both above and below with large dark wing tips and a yellowish head. Takes 4 years to reach adult plumage. Juvenile bird is all brown (apart from upper tail coverts), with beautiful fine white speckling. Attains adult plumage slowly with sub-adult birds showing white under sides and a variable amount of black in the wing.
Voice
Noisy at colonies, producing loud grating noises.
Diet
Fish
Breeding
Breeds in colonies on islands off the coast. The main Gannet colonies are located on Great Saltee, Co. Wexford, the Bull Rock, Co. Cork and on Little Skellig in Co. Kerry. A small colony is also found on Irelands Eye, Co. Dublin. Little Skelligs is by far the largest colony with an estimated 39,800 nests and many thousands of additional non breeding birds in attendance. During the 'Seabird 2000' survey, the 26,000 nests recorded at Little Skellig, was an increase from 22,500 recorded at the time of the previous survey in 1984/5.
Wintering
Winters at seas, but can be seen in Irish waters throughout the year.
Monitored by
Breeding seabirds are monitored through breeding seabird surveys carried out every 15-20 years.
There are a number of breeding sites on inshore islands. A colony of international importance is present at Little Skellig Co. Kerry, where it is possible to see this impressive bird at very close range.
Gannets can be seen off all coastal areas in Ireland throughout the year.
Blog posts about this bird
A Feathered Farewell
[vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]It feels like only yesterday that we were welcoming back our summer breeding birds. Before you know it, eggs are hatched, chicks are fledged, and our feathered friends are off again, leaving our shores. Late summer welcomes a new crowd, such as the Sooty Shearwater, Great Shearwater and the occasional Wilson’s Storm-petrel; it won't be until autumn when we see the return of our wintering waterfowl and waders. Here's our summer species sendoff and where they'll be going next. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]
Back to the Sea
While the thought of being out at sea during the winter is enough to send some of us humans into hypothermia, it is welcome homecoming to some of our bird species. This is true for the Puffin, who disperses onto the Atlantic Ocean in the winter. Scientists are still studying exactly where they go, but according to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), their wintering range extends from the Northern Atlantic down to the northwest Africa. They aren't the only ones who take to the sea for our colder months. Gannets and Kittiwakes also take the high seas and spread across the Atlantic during the winter, some venturing down to the coasts of west Africa. Unlike Puffins and Kittiwakes, some Gannets stick around Ireland's coasts and can be seen throughout the year. Although not strictly a seabird, Red-necked Phalaropes migrate far off the shore, though scientists are still determining exactly where these birds go. It is suspected that the Red-necked Phalaropes which nest in Ireland are part of the population that also breeds in Iceland and the northern Scottish islands, are thought to winter on the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Peru. Breeding populations from Scandinavian and Russian winter in the Arabian Sea. Outside of the nesting season, these wading birds live entirely at sea, feeding on plankton until the spring. 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row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]Mainland Africa
Common Swifts, one of Ireland's fastest bird species, are like the forementioned seabirds in that they too don't touch land in the winter, but they aren't in the ocean, either. Instead, they are flying high above sub-Saharan Africa, never landing until they return back to their breeding grounds. While in the African skies, they follow the rains, taking advantage of insect increases after rainfall. Another insect-chasing (literally in its name) bird, the Spotted Flycatcher, heads south to central and southern Africa for the winter season. Research has shown that some individuals fly as far south as Namibia, a hefty 7,000 km from their breeding grounds. This distance rivals that covered by the Wheatear, which has one of the longest migrations of any songbird. Birds breeding in north-eastern Canada fly almost non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean to their sub-Saharan wintering grounds. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" 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row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]Learn More
There are more birds leaving Ireland for the season than just the ones we've listed here. Visit our page of Irish birds to discover more. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Should I stay or should I go: how long does it take chicks to leave the cliff?
[vc_row type="in_container" full_screen_row_position="middle" column_margin="default" column_direction="default" column_direction_tablet="default" column_direction_phone="default" scene_position="center" text_color="dark" text_align="left" row_border_radius="none" row_border_radius_applies="bg" row_position_desktop="default" row_position_tablet="inherit" row_position_phone="inherit" overflow="visible" overlay_strength="0.3" gradient_direction="left_to_right" shape_divider_position="bottom" bg_image_animation="none"][vc_column column_padding="no-extra-padding" column_padding_tablet="inherit" column_padding_phone="inherit" column_padding_position="all" flex_gap_desktop="10px" column_element_direction_desktop="default" column_element_spacing="default" desktop_text_alignment="default" tablet_text_alignment="default" phone_text_alignment="default" background_color_opacity="1" background_hover_color_opacity="1" column_backdrop_filter="none" column_shadow="none" column_border_radius="none" column_link_target="_self" column_position="default" gradient_direction="left_to_right" overlay_strength="0.3" width="1/1" tablet_width_inherit="default" animation_type="default" bg_image_animation="none" border_type="simple" column_border_width="none" column_border_style="solid"][vc_column_text css="" text_direction="default"]Dr. Samuel Preston, one of BirdWatch Ireland's 2026 East Coast Seabird Survey team members, writes an update about the seabird breeding season update. 2026 is the third consecutive year in which we have been able comprehensively to census and monitor the cliff-nesting seabirds at six important colonies on the east coast, thanks to funding from the Phase One windfarms in the Irish Sea. All photos are taken under NPWS licensing.
For birds that need to fly to leave the cliffs, naturally it takes a little longer to get started with adult life. Kittiwake chicks take 35-40 days to get going, cormorants and shag take around 50 days to fledge, while fulmar take 70-75 days to go from hatching to flying. Gannets, however, win the prize for longest nestling period on our cliffs: 90-95 days to fledge!
Both short and long fledging times pose challenges. Auks have to pack a lot of growing into a short period and they can't afford to delay. When everyone leaves the cliffs all at once, so does the protection of the group. Stragglers who are left behind are the most vulnerable. Longer fledging times mean more time exposed to predators, the elements, and the stresses of group living - competition, aggression from neighbours, the risk of disease and parasites. On top of that, you need to master the skill of flying. For some birds, that means practising with short flights and hops. Gannets, however, have to get it right the first time they leap from the cliff. With so little room for error, it's no wonder they spend the most time preparing.
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Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Guillemots and razorbills are leaving the cliffs in droves, but kittiwakes, cormorants and shag, fulmar, and gannets are still brooding chicks on the rocks. Why are some birds so slow to leave their breeding sites? Actually, the real question is, "how are guillemots and razorbill chicks ready to leave so early?". From as young as 15 days after hatching these chicks can be ready to make their way to the sea (though some will hang around for 3 weeks before they do). They achieve this remarkable speed by abandoning the cliffs before the can even fly. Waiting for flight feathers to grow takes time and would mean more time exposed on land to danger. There's nowhere to run from predators on a cliff, and auk chicks are not exactly nimble on their feet. They are, however, already well-equipped for swimming. Once guillemot and razorbill chicks are big enough, they take the plunge into the water below and master the aquatic environment before even thinking about the air.
For birds that need to fly to leave the cliffs, naturally it takes a little longer to get started with adult life. Kittiwake chicks take 35-40 days to get going, cormorants and shag take around 50 days to fledge, while fulmar take 70-75 days to go from hatching to flying. Gannets, however, win the prize for longest nestling period on our cliffs: 90-95 days to fledge!
Both short and long fledging times pose challenges. Auks have to pack a lot of growing into a short period and they can't afford to delay. When everyone leaves the cliffs all at once, so does the protection of the group. Stragglers who are left behind are the most vulnerable. Longer fledging times mean more time exposed to predators, the elements, and the stresses of group living - competition, aggression from neighbours, the risk of disease and parasites. On top of that, you need to master the skill of flying. For some birds, that means practising with short flights and hops. Gannets, however, have to get it right the first time they leap from the cliff. With so little room for error, it's no wonder they spend the most time preparing.
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