Cape gannet
| Cape gannet | |
|---|---|
| Cape gannet, Bird Island, Lamberts Bay, South Africa | |
| Cape gannet in flight | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Suliformes |
| Family: | Sulidae |
| Genus: | Morus |
| Species: | M. capensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Morus capensis (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823) | |
| The breeding range of the Cape gannet is confined to six islands along the coast of Southern Africa, viz. Bird Island (Algoa Bay), Malgas Island, and Bird Island (Lambert's Bay) in South Africa. And the Penguin Islands of Mercury Island, Ichaboe Island and Possession Island in Namibia.
Extant (breeding)
Extant (non-breeding) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Sula capensis | |
The Cape gannet (Morus capensis) is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae.
They are easily identified by their large size, black and white plumage and distinctive yellow crown and hindneck. The pale blue bill is pointed with fine serrations near the tip; perhaps because of the depth and speed of the gannet's dive when fishing (depending on altitude, gannets hit the water at speeds of between 40 and 86 km/h (25 and 53 mph)), its beak has no external nostrils into which the water might be forced. The widely mentioned maximum speed of 120 km/h has never been measured and published.