Latest News About Northern Gannet

Updated 2026-05-12 12:03

Here’s the latest you can act on right now.

A recent BBC article in April 2026 reported a notable decline in gannet numbers linked to bird flu impacts, highlighting ongoing concerns for Northern gannet populations.[8]
Conservation groups (e.g., BirdLife and UK partners like the RSPB) continue to monitor threats such as bycatch, plastic pollution, and habitat disturbance, while noting recovery in some regions is uneven across colonies.[5][7]
In the UK, Northern gannet populations are generally considered Amber on conservation concern lists, with large colonies like Bass Rock continuing to be important breeding sites though status can vary locally.[3][6]

Illustration: Northern gannets are large seabirds famed for high-speed plunge dives to catch fish, with colonies on offshore cliffs. Their status can fluctuate with disease outbreaks and fishing-related threats.

If you’d like, I can pull more detailed, up-to-date summaries from specific sources (e.g., BBC, BirdLife, or local seabird networks) or focus on a particular region (UK, Iceland, Canada) and provide a concise briefing with citations.

Sources

Northern gannet - Scottish Seabird Centre

In the UK, bird species with breeding, passage or wintering populations are assessed by experts and assigned to the Red, Amber or Green lists of conservation concern. Northern gannets are currently an ‘AMBER’ listed species.

www.seabird.org

Lost gannet found 70 miles from coast

A RSPB spokesperson says it was "very bizarre" to find the bird so far from the sea.

www.bbc.co.uk

Seabird of the month - Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)

Another month, another seabird.

www.birdlife.org

Northern gannet | The Wildlife Trusts

Famed for its super-fast fishing dives into the sea, the northern gannet (or gannet) is a distinctive white bird with a yellow head and black wingtips. It nests in large, noisy, smelly colonies on cliffs around our coasts.

www.wildlifetrusts.org

Northern Gannet | Audubon Field Guide

One of the largest seabirds of the North Atlantic, the Northern Gannet is spectacular as it plunges into the sea in pursuit of fish. With a spear-like bill and spiky tail, it looks 'pointed at both...

www.audubon.org

Northern Gannet

The eye-catching Northern Gannet is the largest seabird found in northern Atlantic waters — about the size of a Black-footed or Laysan Albatross.

abcbirds.org