Seabird of the month - Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)
Another month, another seabird.
www.birdlife.orgHere’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.