Cape Gannet An Endangered Species

Cape Gannet Description This bird is about a meter long and their wing span can get to around two meters. At the top of their head, the coloration is yellow, and then it is gradient white going down, with black along the tips and back of their wings. It has flight feathers, and then soft down underneath. Because of this elaborate layering, they almost never get wet. Their beak is light blue and is shaped like that of a pelican.

This shows the coloration of a Cape Gannet Black wing tips. Yellow head Blue eyes/beak

Cape Gannet Behavior/Adaptations If it is available to them during nesting season, they will nest around the rocks to prevent predators from seeing them, and if they do, it would be hard for them to land or get across the rocks. These animals rarely go more than one mile off of a beach or shoreline. The females start breeding at the age of three, but not very many males breed before reaching the age of five.

Cape Gannet Habitat This animal lives off the coast of the southern part of Africa. Although they can live other places, they prefer the rocky shoreline for nesting. They tend to travel a lot when they are not breeding, but almost always go the the same general location for breeding and nesting each year.

Cape Gannet Life Role The animal plays a valuable role in their own ecosystem. The role that it plays is a consumer, but to be more specific, a predator. The food that is their main prey is small fish.

Cape Gannet Food The cape gannet’s main food source is fish that lives deep out at sea. To catch these fish, the bird soars high above the ocean, And than dive from a considerable height. If they ever need shelter, they use cliff caves high above where any waves would come. If they need water, they drink from streams that feed the ocean. But they usually get their water from inside the fish they eat.

The gannet’s diving process.

Cape Gannet Disappearing? The main reason for the endangerment of these wonderful birds is overfishing. The main incline of the fishing industry is the same time of year that they breed and nest. This makes it hard for them to sufficiently feed their young. As I mentioned before, they only breed after a few years, so if something happens (like an oil spill) they could be gone forever.

Cape Gannet What Would Be If this bird was extinct, there would be an increase of fish in the oceans, and then we would think that there is a huge supply of fish, and we would fish out the oceans. Since it is one of the foods of the seals and sharks, the predators would be without one of their main food supplies.

Cape Gannet People Who Care One thing that scientists are doing to help this bird is learning more about how to contain the fishing rates per year. There are many organizations that breed these birds in captivity, and then release the offspring into non- fishing reserves.

Cape Gannet What to do People can do a lot of good by not trying, like buy from small fishing companies, or just don’t eat a lot of fish. Each person that cuts down on their average fish consume per year, saves 4,000 fish, which leaves some for the cape gannet.

Save the Cape Gannets