Cape Gannet

Morus capensis (Lichtenstein, MHC, 1823)

Cape Gannet, Morus capensis, breeds on islands off Namibia and South Africa, and outside the breeding season ranges along the coast from northern Namibia to Mozambique. It is a member of the Sulidae, the gannets and boobies, and was described by Lichtenstein in 1823. Adults are identified by the golden crown and nape, the white neck, and the black tail, primaries and secondaries. In flight, the white body and dark bill make it easy to pick out. It is a fish-eating bird that plunge-dives from height.

Order

Suliformes

Family

Sulidae — Gannets, Boobies

Breeding range

Africa: islands off Namibia and s Africa

Nonbreeding range

to coastal n Namibia and Mozambique