Colony of northern gannets in Quebec Aug. 25, 2025

They are easy to recognise: sleek white bodies, black wingtips and a dagger-sharp bill. Northern gannets are anything but quiet—especially when gathered by the tens of thousands on Bonaventure Island"s cliffs in Quebec. Each year, they come together to feed, breed and raise their young. These seabirds are high-speed hunters. Spotting fish from 70 metres up, they fold their wings and dive at speeds nearing 100 km/h. Air sacs in the skull protect them from the force of impact, allowing them to grab prey like herring, capelin and sand lance underwater with accuracy.

© Vladone/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Aug. 25, 2023Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
The sea pool of Penzance
Aug. 25, 2024Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Part science experiment, part public park
Jun. 4, 2024Chestnut-headed bee-eater, Bardia National Park, Nepal
May 13, 2025Yoho National Park, British Columbia
This lesson is going swimmingly
Gateway to Iberia
A ghost on the mountain
Among the most photographed in the Rockies
Jul. 8, 2024Blueberries growing in the wild
Mar. 26, 2025Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
Nov. 9, 2025Carl Sagan Day
Mar. 3, 2025World Wildlife Day
Its puffling season!
Jan. 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Dec. 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, United States
Jan. 30, 2024Aýna, Albacete, Spain
Aug. 12, 2025World Elephant Day
May 23, 2025World Turtle Day
Jun. 15, 2024International Surfing Day
What are these unique creatures?
Apr. 9, 2025Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
Apr. 28, 2025Impala in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Roll out the red carpet
A road not for the faint of heart
Nov. 28, 2024Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia
May 3, 2025Happy International Astronomy Day!
Were halfway there
Masterpiece of acoustic science
Dec. 22, 2024Christmas tree at Crystal Pier, San Diego, California, United States
Birthplace of the Renaissance
Nov. 8, 2024Glacial rivers, Iceland