Australasian Gannet

Fascinating facts about the Australasian Gannet

• The Australasian gannet is 84–91 cm long, has a 170–200 cm wingspan, and weighs about 2.3 kg.
• A chick leaves the nest weighing more than the average adult, a rapid growth spurt fueled by parents regurgitating fish, showing how the species packs adult strength into a tiny, feather-less body before it even learns to fly.
• Between 1980 and 2000 the number of breeding pairs in Australian waters rose from roughly 6,600 to 20,000.
• Genetic studies place the split between the Cape gannet and the Australasian gannet at about 0.5 million years ago.
• The Black Pyramid Rock colony grew from 500 pairs in 1961 to 12,300 pairs by 1998.

At a glance

About the Australasian Gannet

The Australasian gannet (Morus serrator) cuts a striking figure over the southern and eastern Australian seas and the waters around New Zealand. Adults are almost entirely white, punctuated by black flight feathers at the wingtips and a black tail stripe, while a buff-yellow tinge crowns the head and hindneck. Their pearly-grey bill, edged in dark grey or black, frames blue-rimmed eyes that scan the surface for prey. Measuring 84–91 cm in length with a 170–200 cm wingspan, the bird’s four-toed, dark-grey feet are edged with subtle green lines. Juveniles emerge mottled, dark above and light below, and only after five years do they acquire the full adult plumage. These seabirds are consummate plunge-divers, hurtling into the ocean at high speed to snatch squid and schooling fish near the surface. They nest in dense, territorial colonies on offshore islands and, where space runs out, spill onto mainland sites such as Point Danger in Victoria. Nests are cup-shaped mounds of seaweed and debris, built by the female from material gathered by the male, and each year a single pale-blue egg is laid. The downy chick, fed regurgitated fish, grows so rapidly it can outweigh an adult before fledging, a testament to the species’ efficient foraging and parental coordination.

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