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Gannets
 Gannets are large seabirds belonging to the family Sulidae, and are closely related to the infamous boobies. They can be recognised by their black and white plumage covering their entire bodies, their long wings and their long bills that they use to catch fish. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic.
Gannets hunt in a rather spectacular manner; they drive from the air into the ocean to catch fish, in some circumstances from heights of up to 30 m and at speeds of 100 km/h.
This allows Gannets to catch fish from much deeper depths than other sea birds. A Gannets wingspan can be up to 2 metres across making them an impressive sight, both at rest and when on the wing.
To cushion the impact of a high speed dive into the sea Gannets have air sacs in their face and chest just under their skin, and to aid in hunting they have eyes located very close together giving them binocular vision and excellent depth perception; imperative when hunting fish!
Gannets have earned a reputation as gluttonous birds who eat a lot of food, hence the use of the term "gannet" as someone who is greedy.
These unique sea birds are colonial breeders that live on islands and rocky coastlines, and it takes five years for them to reach maturity. Almost two thirds of the entire population of gannets nest around the United Kingdom, mainly in Scotland and around the Shetland Isles.
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