File:Morus_bassanus_9.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Morus
Sign in to saveAlso known as gannets
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. They are known as 'solan' or 'solan goose' in Scotland. A common misconception is that the Scottish name is 'guga' but this is the Gaelic name referring to the chicks only.
OverviewAI-generated
Morus is a genus of birds within the family Sulidae, order Pelecaniformes, and class Aves. The taxon was described by Vieillot in 1816 and is currently accepted. It belongs to the phylum Chordata and is characterized by a marine habitat. The genus is part of the broader group known as gannets.
The lineage dates back to about 20 million years ago. Specimens and records associated with the genus have been documented in the United States, Mexico, China, and Canada. These records are held by institutions including SDNHM, FC-UNAM, CAS, UCMP, and STDOM.
A separate plant genus also named Morus exists within the family Moraceae. This plant genus includes Morus alba, which is cultivated in New Guinea. Morus alba is famously the food plant of the silkworm.
Synthesized by Vinony from 27 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, Plants of the World, iDigBio, WoRMS, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
Genus
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderPelecaniformes
- FamilySulidae
General: Morus alba is currently cultivated in New Guinea for its Use: Morus alba is famously the food plant of silkworm
via · Kew POWO
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 903
- With media
- 577
- Family
- Sulidae
- Collections
- SDNHM, FC-UNAM, CAS, UCMP, STDOM, ECOSUR
- Recorded in
- United States, Mexico, China, Canada
Wikidata facts
Show 7 more facts
- Commons category
- Morus (Aves)
- taxon name
- Morus
- topic's main category
- Category:Gannets
- taxon rank
- genus
- start time
- 20000000-0
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
- homonymous taxon
- Morus
via Wikidata · CC0
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
10 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Taxonomy
- Behaviour
- Hunting
- Mating and nesting
- Northern gannets
- Systematics and evolution
- Cultural references
- References
- External links
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. They are known as 'solan' or 'solan goose' in Scotland. A common misconception is that the Scottish name is 'guga' but this is the Gaelic name referring to the chicks only.
Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads, black-tipped wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, having a wingspan of up to . The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia, and New Zealand.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Morus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.