We leave you this Sunday morning at Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand, with gannets, who mate for life. Videographer: Jaime McDonald.
Australasian gannets nest in dense breeding colonies on the New Zealand mainland and coastal rocks and islands, as well as off south-east Australia and Tasmania. Although gannets can be seen occasionally from most places along the coasts of the New Zealand main islands, most gannetries are situated off the North Island. The largest mainland gannetry is at Cape Kidnappers, with around 5,000 breeding pairs. Other mainland breeding sites include Muriwai and Farewell Spit.
Australasian gannets mostly feed on waters over the continental shelf. They prefer flat ground for nesting, rather than cliff ledges. Breeding colonies are mostly situated at sites that are completely or largely surrounded by the sea, i.e. on islands or headlands.
Cape Kidnappers, also known as Te Kauwae-a-Māui and officially known as Cape Kidnappers / Te Kauwae-a-Māui, is a headland at the southeastern extremity of Hawke’s Bay on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island and sits at the end of an 8 kilometres peninsula which protrudes into the Pacific Ocean.
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