Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator (Gray, 1843))
Scientific name: Morus serrator (Gray, 1843)
Common name: Australasian Gannet
French name: Fou austral
Order: Suliformes
Family: Sulidae
Size: Body size: 84 to 91 cm; Weight: about 2.3 kg; Wingspan: 160 to 170 cm.
Habitat: Marine coasts and continental shelf.
Food: Fish caught diving like an arrow up to 2 meters deep.
Nesting: Australasian Gannets nest in large, dense colonies on coastal islands with some colonies on the mainland. Pairs can stay together for several years. There is only one egg per clutch.
Migration: Australasian Gannets disperse along the coasts at the end of the breeding season, however some birds may remain near the colony.
Geographic area: South and east coasts of Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand.
Australasian Gannets are large white birds with black wingtips. The central tail feathers are also black in colour.
The neck and head are quite dark orange in colour.
The dagger-shaped bill is light grey and marked with thin sharp black lines.
The eyes are light grey, outlined in blue and surrounded by a black mask.
There is no sexual dimorphism.
First-year young are dark brown and gradually lighten to reach adult plumage around 5 or 6 years of age.
The Australasian Gannet closely resembles the Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) and the Cape Gannet (Morus capensis). The Cape Gannet is differentiated by the black external tail feathers (sides of the tail). The Northern Gannet has white secondary flight feathers (rear edge of the wing), they are black in the Australasian Gannet.

Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator) - Katiki Point, South Island, New Zealand - December 18th 2018
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Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator)
It is mainly the location of the observation that makes me identify the Australasian Gannet. This photo is not sufficient to see the criteria that differentiate it from other species of the same genus.


Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator) - Katiki Point, South Island, New Zealand - December 18th 2018
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Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator)
The black rear wing edge is visible on this photo. It is less obvious to judge the colour of the outer tail feathers.

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