The largest indigenous seabird in the northern hemisphere.
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Latin Name:Morus bassanus
Scottish Name: Bass goose, Guga, Caraid-nan-Gaidheal, Eun ban an sgadain.
Meaning: Lover of the Gael. White bird of the herring.
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Statistics: Body length 87-100cm, wingspan 165-180cm, weight 2400-3600g.
Physical Description: Mainly white, long-bodied, long-billed seabird. Black-tipped
wings and buff-coloured back of the head.
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Scottish Distribution: Winters off Northern Isles, Hebrides & east
coast. Breeds on remote Western Isles, Shetland, Aberdeenshire, Bass Rock, Ailsa
Craig and Luce Bay.
Habitat: Almost entirely marine, except during breeding season. Breeding
sites are wind-blown, rocky stacks which allow for a vertical take-off.
Diet: Mainly fish (2.5-30cm), taken by plunging from 10-30m above the water.
Prey usually swallowed during surfacing.
Latin Name: Morus bassanus
