One-week-old gannet chicks don’t look like their parents at all. They look rather unattractive with dark grey wrinkled skin. They are without plumage yet and look naked! You may spot parents feeding their young by regurgitating semi-digested fish. 

Two-week-old gannet chick is partly covered with down and now bigger than their parents’ feet. 

From three to six weeks of age, gannet chicks become larger and fluffier. They put on pounds and approach the size of an adult gannet, which means they could weigh up to 3.6 kg or even heavier. You may spot chicks begging for food by stimulating the parent’s bill-tip or chicks taking food directly from the parent’s throat.

From week 7 to week 9, more first feathers push through. Gannet chicks at this stage have rather patchy appearance over its body but long white down remains on head and neck. By week 9, gannet chicks still look scruffy with some fluff remaining on flanks, belly and neck. 

Between week 10 and 11, gannet chicks shed most of its down and they start to look much like their parents but with a dark beak and speckling feathers. 

There is a survival reason for newly hatched gannets to look different from their parents. Gannets are territorial and, even when they nest in colonies, they do not get along well with other birds apart from their mates. A wrong move can lead to a nasty peck from a neighbour’s long, sharp beak. Therefore, it is thought that gannet chicks grow darker feathers than adults to avoid being mistaken for an intruding adult gannet attempting to attack or take over the nest site.

At around 13 weeks old, gannet youngsters will say goodbye to their nest and jump in the sea. Unlike some bird species where parents ‘kick out’ their young, gannet chicks leave the nest because they want to do so, not because their parents stop feeding them. When ending in the sea, gannet youngsters will spend a week to use up the excess fat they carry and then they will begin their life on the wing.

Gannet behaviours to spot on the camera

Pair-bonding: While watching gannets on the webcam, you can see lots of bill fencing, a gentle jousting with the beaks as a form of courtship. There is also mutual preening, when pairs help each other care for their plumage and remove lice.

Gannets often point their bills towards the sky before taking off. This gesture was once thought to help avoid jabs from aggressive neighbours. However, it is now suggested that it may instead be directed towards their mates, as birds stepping off the ledge, beyond the reach of others, still display this behaviour. It is likely the gannets’ way of saying, “sweetie, I’m about to leave.”

Preening and oiling are body care gestures that take place often. Gannets spread the oil from the oil gland at the base of their tail onto the feathers of their wings and backs.

Plumage shaking and settling: gannets shake their heads side-to-side, flap their wings vigorously, waggling their tails and then resettling their wings. Gannets display this gesture when they want to get rid of loose feathers, water or dirt or an anxious response to stimulation from the colony.

Bill tucking: Gannets tuck their bills between their wings, a fear response to aggressive behaviours from neighbours.

During warm days, you may see parents panting, gaping slightly, resonating the throat skin, head tilted upwards whilst eyes almost closed. This is their way of regulating the body temperatures. 

Check out this blog for more information on Alderney's gannets.