Northern Gannet Hatching Its Egg - Figurine

Northern Gannet figurine incubating its egg, for interior decoration or display. Self-hardening natural clay. Modeled and painted by hand.

Dimensions: 7x10 cm

Handmade in Angers, France

Non-contractual photo: This item is one hundred percent handmade and may be subject to slight variations.

The Northern Gannet is a seabird, visible on the high seas. The breeding season takes place in March-April.
The Northern Gannet breeds in huge, noisy colonies on sea cliffs. The nest is on the ground, and the nesting site does not exceed one square meter in area. It is a large nest made of various plant materials such as grass and seaweed, but also earth. All these materials are welded together by the birds' droppings.

The female lays a single oval egg. Incubation by both parents lasts approximately 44 days. Northern gannets do not have a brood patch, and they incubate the egg under their webbed toes. For this reason, the eggshells are very thick to support the weight of the adult.
At birth, the chick is almost naked and its parents keep it warm for the first few days. A little later, its black-skinned body becomes covered with white down.