European Robin vs Northern Gannet
Erithacus rubecula compared with Morus bassanus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | European Robin | Northern Gannet |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Erithacus rubecula | Morus bassanus |
| Order | Passeriformes | Suliformes |
| Family | Muscicapidae | Sulidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 14.0 cm (5.5 in) | 93.0 cm (36.6 in) |
| Wingspan | 21.0 cm (8.3 in) | 180.0 cm (70.9 in) |
| Weight | 18.0 g (0.63 oz) | 3000.0 g (105.82 oz) |
| Diet | Insects, worms, and berries. Often follows gardeners and large animals to catch invertebrates disturbed from … | Shoaling fish, especially mackerel, herring, and capelin. Plunge-dives from heights of 30 meters at speeds … |
| Clutch Size | 4-7 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
European Robin
Woodlands, hedgerows, parks, and gardens across Europe. Remarkably tame around humans, especially in Britain.
Northern Gannet
Open ocean and coastal waters. Breeds in dense colonies on steep rocky islands and sea stacks.
Song & Call Comparison
European Robin
Exquisite, melancholic melody of thin whistled phrases, rising and falling softly. Rich, warbling song year-round; both sexes sing. Alarm call is a sharp 'tic-tic-tic'.
Northern Gannet
Loud, harsh 'urrah-urrah' grunting and croaking at breeding colonies on sea stacks. Also gives a softer 'karrr' in flight. Large colonies are extremely noisy during the breeding season.
Geographic Range & Migration
European Robin
Europe, western Asia, and parts of North Africa. Northern populations migrate south in winter; western European populations are largely resident.
Northern Gannet
North Atlantic, breeding from Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence to Norway, Iceland, and Britain. Winters at sea south to the tropics.
Conservation Status
European Robin
Northern Gannet
How to Tell Them Apart
European Robin
Olive-brown upperparts with a warm orange-red breast and face bordered by grey. White belly and undertail coverts.
Thin, pointed dark brown bill
Northern Gannet
Brilliant white body with black wingtips and a golden-yellow wash on the head and nape. Blue-grey bill with dark lines and pale blue eye-ring.
Long, straight, pointed, pale blue-grey bill with serrated edges
About These Birds
European Robin
The European robin is one of the most beloved birds in Britain, where it is the unofficial national bird. Despite its friendly demeanor toward humans, robins are fiercely territorial against their own kind, singing year-round to defend territory. Their distinctive song is one of the first to be heard at dawn.
Northern Gannet
The northern gannet is a spectacular plunge-diver, folding its two-meter wingspan into an arrow shape to hit the water at up to 100 km/h. Air sacs under the skin and a reinforced skull protect it from the impact. Bass Rock in Scotland hosts over 150,000 gannets, the largest single colony of any seabird in the world.