Highest plunge dive by bird
Last updated: October 11, 2019 at 3:41 am
40 m (130 ft) — The northern gannet (Sula bassana) plunge dives from heights up to 40 m (130 ft) to capture fish. It then uses its wings and feet to swim in pursuit of its prey to depths up to 22 m (72 ft) where it is swallowed before the gannet reaches the surface. Bonaventure Island, off the town of Percé (Québec), is home to one of the world’s largest colonies of northern gannets, with 47,800 pairs in 2011.
Nelson, J. Bryan. 2005. Pelicans, Cormorants and their relatives. Oxford University Press.
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Jeffrey Gallant is the Editor-in-Chief and Records Keeper of the Diving Almanac. He is also a contributing editor of DIVER Magazine, and the scientific director of the Greenland Shark and Elasmobranch Education and Research Group (GEERG). Jeffrey started diving in 1982.
