Kōrero: Gannets and boobies
Quite unlike adult gannets in appearance, juveniles are covered in dark brown and white-specked feathers. It takes between two and five years for the young to gain full adult plumage. During this time the skin around the eyes becomes bright blue and the beak changes from brown to steely blue.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Reference: 10043579
by F. C. Kinsky
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Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang
Maggy Wassilieff, Gannets and boobies – Gannets: description and habitat, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/5821/juvenile-gannet (accessed 17 February 2026).
He kōrero nā Maggy Wassilieff, i tāngia i te 2 March 2009.