Northern gannets on the Saltee Islands, Ireland

© Bart Breet/Minden Pictures

Northern gannets on the Saltee Islands, Ireland

From North America to Western Europe, northern gannets live all along the North Atlantic coast. The birds spend a majority of their lives at sea, following schools of sardines, herring, and other small fish that they feed on. During breeding and hatching season, northern gannets often return to the same colony locations, where thousands of birds may gather to nest and rear their young. These two, shown in a greeting pose, are on the shores of Ireland’s Saltee Islands, a protected bird habitat.