From Opus

Photo by rayh.

Photo by Gary Clark
Location: Cap Gaspe', Quebec, Canada.

Morus bassanus

[edit] Identification

L. 87-100cm
Ws. 165-180cm

[edit] Adult

• White with black wingtips
• Light blue bill
• Bare, black skin around eye
• During breeding, head and neck are brushed with pale yellow

[edit] Immature

Dark brown in their first year, and gradually acquire more white in subsequent seasons until they reach maturity after five years.

They can have a wingspan of around 1.8m.In Shetland dialect,they are known as the 'Solan Goose'.

[edit] Distribution

North Atlantic. There are around 8,500 breeding pairs on the Island of Noss,on the East coast of Shetland,owned and run by the SNH.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Habitat

Isolated stacks or remote islands, sometimes on mainland cliffs. At sea when not breeding, over continental shelf. Occasionally on large inland waters as a result of severe weather.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

Includes small fish, which it takes from a steep, high-speed dive. Diving from a height of around 30 metres or less,and hitting the water at anything up to 70mph,a lot of these birds go blind quite young,from diving into the water.

[edit] Breeding

They normally nest in large colonies, on cliffs overlooking the ocean or on small rocky islands.

[edit] Vocalisation

[edit] External Links