The solan goose or gannet is a large marine bird,
Sula bassana, which nests in scattered localities in most parts of the world where remote rocky cliffs or islets favor its security. Its specific name refers to the fact that it has always been a denizen of Bass Rock— a famous craggy islet on the coast of England. This bird also nests on Bird Rock in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and other species exist in the tropics. It belongs to the same suborder as the cormorant, and may be recognized by the fact that, as in the latter, all four toes are united by a web. The bill of the solan goose is long and strong, and compressed at the point, the face and throat naked, the nostrils obliterated. In adult life the plumage is white, save for the black primaries and a buff patch on the head or neck; but the young are dusky, and do not acquire the white plumage till their sixth year. The nest contains only one egg.
