Species › Birds

Northern Gannet

Morus bassanus

Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Sulidae
Presence in the Strait: Seasonal
Abundance: common
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Alcatraz atlántico

Marine taxonomy: validated in WoRMS, AphiaID 148776

Photograph: Brooke J., CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 87–100 cm
Wingspan: 165–180 cm
Weight: 3,000 g

Presence in the Strait

Common winter visitor to coastal areas; more abundant during migration. Sub-adults remain during summer

Identification

Large seabird with long, narrow wings. They can perform vertical dives from a considerable height to catch fish.

Movements

Noted all year except July and August, with peaks in March and October. Adults enter the Mediterranean from the European coast, while juveniles and sub-adults enter from the African coast. Adults arrive later and leave earlier (October-April).

Ring recoveries

United Kingdom (28) and Ireland (4). Hydrobatidae Paiño Europeo Paiño Boreal Sulidae juv. Alcatraz Atlántico subad. ad. Piquero Enmascarado

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

26 %

Peak in October. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 25 February 1966
Latest record: 9 April 2026

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: LC · Least concern · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

1990–1999

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

32 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

United Kingdom28
Ireland4

See the journey on the map

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Sulidae
GBIF taxon key: 2480964

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Brooke J., CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Northern Gannet

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery