Photo: Australasian Gannets Colony

Adult and their young are part of the colony of the Australasian Gannets in Hawkes Bay on the North Island of New Zealand.

Australasian Gannets breed in a dense colony off the coast of the North Island of New Zealand at Cape Kidnappers. You can see thousands of Australasian Gannets around this area of New Zealand where their eggs are laid and chicks are then hatched after about forty-four days.The male and female species of the Australasian Gannets grow up to be about 95 centimeters tall and are very similar in their colors and markings on their plumage. Most of their body is white with dark black tips on the wing feathers and inner tail feathers. Their head is a buff-yellow and the bill of the Australasian Gannets are a pale blue-grey color with striking black borders.A colony of Australasian Gannets can be made up of hundreds of these birds but you will find that the pairs of gannets remain together over several seasons. They perform unique greetings that are ritual to the Australasian Gannets by stretching their bills and necks skywards and gently tapping their bills together. ... continue below the picture...

... In New Zealand you can see a colony that resides at Cape Kidnappers, one at Muriwai and one at Farewell Spit. The colony at Cape Kidnappers is the largest and most accessible in the world and many visitors are drawn to Hawke's Bay on the North Island of New Zealand to experience the Australasian Gannets for themselves.Adults and fledging chick Australasian Gannets, Morus serrator, in a colony at Cape Kidnappers, Hawkes Bay, North Island, New Zealand.