The gannet is one of our largest seabirds which is well-known for it’s super-fast dives into the sea. Gannet can dive from heights of 30m to catch fish from below. They can hit the water at speeds of up to 90kmh! They have specialised air-sacs between their muscles and skin to reduce the impact of their dives.

Gannets can be easily distinguished by their large beaks and white feathers with a yellow head and black wingtips.

Gannets breed in large, noisy colonies on islands off the coast and nest in cliffs. The main Gannet colonies are located on Great Saltee, Co. Wexford, The Bull Rock, Co. Cork and on Little Skellig in Co. Kerry. A small colony is also found on Irelands Eye, Co. Dublin. Little Skelligs is by far the largest colony with over 26,000 nests.