Northern gannet

The northern gannet can be distinguished from other birds by its white plumage and wings that look like they have been dipped in black ink. The head has a yellow tint, which gets more prominent during breeding season. The northern gannet can be seen on the cliff of “Rundebranden”, where they live in a large colony. Before humans started to pollute the sea with plastic, they made nests out of straw and seaweed. Nowadays the bird cliffs appear colorful from a distance since the gannets use ropes and fishing nets as nesting material instead.

The gannets are probably the only bird species at Runde that have increased in population size in recent years.

Gannets are good divers, and can be seen plunge-diving at high speed in different places off the island in search for fish. When gannets try to catch fish, they can be seen plunging into the water at a top speed of 100 km/h!

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