Sula  

Most plunge-dives are relatively shallow, but the Northern Gannet can dive as deep as 22 meters (72 feet). It uses its wings and feet to swim deeper in pursuit of fish.
In North America, the Northern Gannet breeds in only six well established colonies: three in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec, and three in the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland. In the eastern North Atlantic, it is distributed in 32 colonies from the coast of Brittany in France northward to Norway.

Trees to 40 m tall; trunk to 2.7 m d.b.h.; bark brownish gray or gray-brown, thick, longitudinally fissured; crown pyramidal; branchlets initially yellowish or reddish brown, turning light brown or dark gray in 2nd or 3rd year, ridged and grooved, brown lanate. Leaves pectinately arranged, linear, rarely narrowly linear-lanceolate, 1-2.4(-3.5) cm × 1.5-3 mm, grooved adaxially, abaxial stomatal bands white, distal margin entire or serrulate, apex obtuse, entire or occasionally emarginate. Seed cones light green, maturing light brown, ovoid or narrowly so, 1.5-3 × 1-2 cm. Seed scales obovate-orbicular, 1-1.4 × 0.7-1.2 cm, base only slightly convex, distal part slightly recurved, very thin, smooth. Bracts cuneate-rhombic, margin denticulate, apex 2-lobed. Seeds obliquely ovoid or narrowly ovoid, 0.8-1.2 cm including wing. Pollination Apr-May, seed maturity Oct-Nov.

Conservation Actions

Northern gannets communicate with a wide variety of calls and visual displays. Many displays seem to be associated with maintaining territorial control in their densely packed breeding colonies. Displays include several threat displays that involve stereotyped jabbing and gaping. Threats are also communicated with a bowing display that involves thrusting the head and body forward several times and then tucking the bill against the breast. Appeasement is communicated with tucking the bill against the breast or otherwise hiding the bill in both adults and nestlings.

Northern gannets are noisy birds, especially when in large groups. They use a wide array of vocalizations. Young give cheeping calls when hatching, yap in response to trespassers in their nesting area, and beg for food from parents. Adult vocalizations have been grouped into 3 types: 1) landing calls are harsh calls used when landing and in bowing, mutual fencing, and threat displays - they are described as loud, metallic, repeated "urrah"s, "rah rah" calls are alarm versions of the "urrah," which are staccato and loud, 2) hollow groans are used when taking off or after short hops or runs, 3) soft "krok krok" sounds are given when gannets are swimming at sea or in low flight over the water.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical