| Northern Gannet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Range | Coasts on the North Atlantic, Northern Europe, Northeastern North America, Acadia and New England |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Suliformes |
| Family | Sulidae |
| Genus | Morus |
| Species | Morus bassanus |
| Conservation Status | |
 Least Concern | |
The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) is a seabird and the largest species in the gannet family, Sulidae. The word "gannet" comes from Middle English ganet which comes from Old English ganot which is descended from Proto-Germanic *ganataz which is ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *ganzô and thus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂éns meaning "goose". It lives on the coasts of the Altantic Ocean, breeding in Western Europe and Northeastern North America. Nesting takes place in colonies on both sides of the North Atlantic, with the largest nesting colony is at Bass Rock (75,000 pairs in 2014), St. Kilda (60,000 pairs in 2013), Ailsa Craig (33,000 pairs in 2014)(All in Scotland) and Bonaventure Island (60,000 pairs in 2009) on the coasts of Quebec.