New Zealand gannets (Morus Serrator)
The New Zealand Gannet is born from a single egg and takes to the air in it's fourth month of life, returning several years later to breed. It has been discovered that the young birds travel an astonishing 2,740km in this, their first long flight - across the Tasman Sea to the East Coast of Australia. Gannets swoop on fish from the air, entering the water at 145km per hour from a height of up to 20 metres. Gannet population in New Zealand is healthy but they are susceptible to oil spills and human disturbance, often being caught in fishing nets or ropes.
Year: 2013
From album: Geothermal History in New Zealand
Photographer: Yannick Beaudoin