4896 x 3264 px | 41,5 x 27,6 cm | 16,3 x 10,9 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
giugno 2011
Ubicazione:
Noss National Nature Reserve, Shetland, Scotland, UK
Altre informazioni:
Adult Northern Gannet Morus bassanus in flight along the Shetland coastline. The Northern gannet (Morus bassanus) is a seabird and the largest member of the gannet family, Sulidae. "Gannet" is derived from Old English ganot "strong or masculine", ultimately from the same Old Germanic root as "gander". Morus is derived from Ancient Greek moros, "foolish" due to the lack of fear shown by breeding gannets and boobies allowing them to be easily killed. The specific bassanus is from the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth, which holds the world's largest colony of northern gannets. The northern gannet has the same colours as the Australasian gannet and is similar in appearance. Nesting in colonies as large as 75, 000 pairs on both sides of the north Atlantic this bird undertakes seasonal migrations and is a spectacular high-speed diver. Old names for the northern gannet include solan and solan goose.
