Cape gannet

The Cape gannet is one of three species of oceanic birds in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. These large seabirds are primarily found in the northern Atlantic, as well as in temperate waters around Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Adult Cape gannets are mostly white with black-tipped wings and a distinctive yellowish or buff-colored head marked with black around the eyes. They possess a tapered beak and a pointed tail.

These birds are skilled hunters, diving into the sea with half-closed wings to catch fish and squid. While they waddle on land, they are expert fliers, spending most of their lives over the ocean. Cape gannets nest in dense colonies on cliffs, typically laying a single egg that incubates for six to seven weeks. The young are fed by regurgitation and reach maturity in their third or fourth year. The Cape gannet (Morus capensis) breeds on islands off the coast of South Africa.12