Flying the nest, as all teenagers know can be one of the most exciting but also nerve-wrecking times of a young persons life. And it’s at this time of year that the Cape Gannet chick goes through exactly that.
After approximately three months, they have put on enough weight – making them even heavier than their parents – and are ready to put those strong wings to good use.
Beginning life within a pale blue, chalky egg, the Gannet is kept protected and warm by none other than it’s parents’ feet! Packed with blood vessels, the foot webs wrap gently around the egg, a technique also shared by another member of the Sulidae bird family, the blue-footed booby!
And that’s not the only common blue thread that connects these sea loving birds. The Gannet also has bluish skin shaped like a ring around their eyes, which explains their other name of the spectacled goose!